Parents

It is frequently said that the grief of bereaved parents is the most intense grief known.

Recommended Reading

Available through AHS Resource & Support Library:

  • When Hello Means Goodbye – A guide for parents whose child dies before birth, at birth or shortly after birth
  • Still to Be Born – A guide for bereaved parents who are making decisions about their future.
  • Strong and Tender – A guide for the father whose baby has died
  • Sibling Grief – How parents can help the child whose brother or sister has died.
  • Too Soon a Memory – A guide for parents suffering a miscarriage
  • Parental Loss of a Child – Edited by Therese A. Rando

Because parents continue to be parents no matter the age of their child, AHS offers support to parents grieving the loss of their child regardless of the stage of life when the death occurs. Services are tailored to meet the individual needs of parents and families.

Services for Grieving Parents include:

Volunteer Companions

Trained Abbotsford Hospice Society (AHS) volunteers provide one to one companioning support for parents in a variety of settings.

Counselling

AHS may offer counselling to parents whose grief may be more complex for a variety of reasons.

Adult Grief Support Group

Facilitated support group for adults who have experienced the death of someone significant.

Perinatal Loss Support Group

This support group is run by a registered clinical counsellor and co facilitator once a month and provides parents with an opportunity for healing, a safe environment to talk, and share their loss, fear, hopes and dreams.

It is offered to parents who have lost an infant to miscarriage, stillbirth or within the first year of life. Pregnancy loss or the death of an infant can be very isolating as parents begin a process of grieving that can include intense feelings of shock, anger, disappointment, guilt, sadness and despair as well as physical symptoms. The AHS Perinatal Loss Support Group is the only one of its kind in the Fraser Valley and clients are often referred by staff at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital obstetrics and emergency departments as well as area physicians, social workers, public health and friends and family.

Family members including siblings and grandparents of the deceased child may also receive support from trained AHS volunteers or counsellors. In 2007 AHS embarked on a program to provide “Memory Boxes” for parents to memorialize their babies. These small boxes can hold locks of hair and tiny mementos and they are lovingly hand painted by community volunteers. AHS makes these boxes available to parents in our Perinatal Support Group as well as those who are receiving one to one support. We are conscious that each infant is special and loved, regardless of how long they lived.

Download the Perinatal Loss Support brochure (PDF file, 1MB)

Memory Boxes for Parents

A loving representative of a child’s life, these small boxes can hold locks of hair and tiny mementos and AHS makes these boxes available to parents in our Perinatal Support Group as well as those who are receiving one to one support. We are conscious that each infant is special and loved, regardless of how long they lived.