offer enhanced education and training to community organizations on end of life and bereavement in the workplace;
expand our programs and services to offer a wider variety of support for children and families in anticipatory grief or bereavement;
further develop our multi-level bereavement training program model, based on hospice philosophy, for application in various institutions;
provide volunteers to support patients and families in the Tertiary Palliative Care Unit (Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre); and
offer online bereavement training options culminating in recognized certification.
Onsite Training Programs
To Help You Provide ...
Abbotsford Hospice Society Support offers cost-effective training programs for
the provision of grief and bereavement support in organisations and institutions.
Utilizing a "Train the Trainer" approach, Hospice staff and community experts provide onsite
instruction for your personnel, from manager to frontline worker. Programs are designed to meet
the specific needs of your in-house community, with training initially facilitated by experienced
and qualified Hospice staff and, subsequently, delivered by your own trained facilitators.
For information regarding "Train the Trainer", please
email or call us at
(602) 852-2456.
Bereavement Services
Grief, or bereavement, is an emotional and physical reaction to the death of a loved one.
Grief is a healthy, natural response to loss. Grief is an individual journey, and your way of grieving
is the "right way" for you to grieve. You may experience a wide range of emotional and physical responses, including
denial, anger, physical distress, helplessness, guilt, sadness, even depression or despair. There is, in fact,
no "correct" sequence of feelings. Your journey is personal, reflecting your realities and perspectives. In general, the
intense emotions diminish with the passage of time and with support from family, friends, and Hospice companions.
Healing involves acceptance of loss, with celebration of the loved
one's life and successful adaptation to the new circumstances of your life.
An Overview of Bereavement Services
The Abbotsford Hospice mode of bereavement support involves companioning the palliative or grief-stricken person.
That is, on their private journey of grief, we go to their position and simply accompany them. We do this with compassion,
without making judgments. We do not profess to be counselors or advisors; rather, we listen, hear, ponder and discuss. Whether
the grief is in response to the person's own impending death or the death of someone connected to their life,
the griever's decision is gently advocated.
We are not affiliated with any religion or belief system. Whether our client is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, New Age,
Sikh or First Nation, their personal belief system is honoured and respected. In our mode of companionship, we support
any conscious spiritual choice made by our client, and we do so intentionally, with respect. Our Manager of Bereavement
& Volunteer Services assesses client needs and assigns the most appropriate companion for that client.
The Abbotsford Hospice Society currently offers the following Bereavement Support Groups. There is no charge; however
participants MUST REGISTER by calling Kelly at 604.852.2456 or email:info@abbotsfordhospice.org
Perinatal Loss Support
For parents grieving the loss of an infant to miscarriage, stillbirth, or within the first
year of life. The group meets the second Tuesday of each month.
In her work as a public health nurse and as co-ordinator of the post-partum depression team, Paula Jacobs has met many
women who have lost a baby.
Debbie Lehmann (left) of the Abbotsford Hospice Society, and Paula Jacobs, facilitator of the new Perinatal Loss Support
Group, show a sample of a "memory box" that the group will use to help grieving parents memorialize their baby. Image and text credit:The Chilliwack Progress
She would give these women and their partners the limited support she could but was frustrated that there were no ongoing
services to refer them to.
No longer. Jacobs has partnered with the Abbotsford Hospice Society to offer the Perinatal Loss Support Group.
The monthly group met for the first time on Tuesday of this week. It is open to anyone who has lost an infant to miscarriage,
stillbirth or within the first year of life.
Jacobs, who is also a registered counsellor, facilitates the sessions. Her hope is that people have a comfortable place to
express their grief.
"It's an opportunity for healing, a safe environment to talk about their anger, their fears, their loss of hopes and dreams,"
she said... [Read more]
Free Services for Bereaved Adults, Teens and Children
Adult Support and Share
Facilitated support group for adults who have recently lost a significant person to death.
Perinatal Loss Support Group
Facilitated by a registered counsellor, this group offers sharing and mutual support for parents who have lost a child
to miscarriage, stillbirth or within the first year of life.
One to One Support for Adults, Teens and Children
Peer support sessions with a trained Abbotsford Hospice Society volunteer.
Phone counselling
A registered clinical counsellor will provide phone counselling for children and teens.
Anticipatory Grief Group
This ongoing support group for adults is designed to address the issues associated with the expected death of
a family member or friend.
Supporting Children through Music
Three part creative music program provides a warm, friendly, nurturing atmosphere for children who are grieving a
death, anticipating the death of someone they love or for those children with complex grief issues.
offer enhanced education and training to community organizations on end of life and bereavement in the workplace;
