After someone loses a loved one, family members and friends often offer kindness, comfort and solace. Eventually daily life returns to normal around them, but many times the person who is grieving is left with poignant memories, loneliness, and gaps of time to fill. Hospice Waterloo Region has a program to help. It is called the Bereavement Walking Group.
The walking group has assisted hundreds of individuals coping with loss. Leslie, a longtime Hospice staff member, started the group 20 years ago with the help of only a handful of volunteers. Now part of the Community Program, she coordinates this group of 10 to 15 clients who walk with three to four volunteers each week. It is as well-attended as ever and offers the opportunity to walk outdoors, rain or shine, with others who have experienced the loss of someone close.
One of the participants, Elisabeth, learned about the walking group when her husband died at the Cook Family Residence two years ago. She wasn’t sure about joining but now says, “It was the best thing that happened to me.”
She highly recommends taking that first step, whether for a few months or up to two years.
You get to talk about your feelings of grief, the volunteers are wonderful, and you become friends with the other walkers.
The message of the group is this: “You are not alone in your grief, and we are here to support you with understanding and companionship.”
The focus is on talking with others who can relate to the challenges of losing someone. Many of the participants describe the group as a safe place to share their feelings with volunteers who are trained in grief support. It is a time for reflection and contemplation and also a chance to make valuable connections and friends.
Learn More
Offered weekly on Thursday mornings, Hospice’s Bereavement Walking Group takes place every month except July and August. Participants must be able to walk for approximately 45 minutes (choose your pace, benches are available for breaks).
To learn more and to register, please contact Hospice Waterloo Region’s Intake Coordinator, Sarah Beth, at 519-743-4114 ext. 608 or email [email protected].
The journey through grief does not have to be a solitary one. There are volunteers at Hospice who are willing to accompany the bereaved on that journey wherever it may lead them.