Coping with grief can be hard on anyone, regardless of their age.
During an event last Thursday, Langley Hospice reached out to children and youth dealing with loss, as part of Children’s Grief Awareness Day.
And tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov. 21) the local organization is offering two free workshops aimed at further helping people dealing with grief – especially during the Christmas season, said Linda Sheridan, the adult bereavement coordinator.
“This workshop… is offered for those who are grieving – to access information and support on how to navigate the often difficult holiday season,” Sheridan elaborated.
The workshops are running from 10 a.m. to noon, or alternately from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Langley Hospice supportive program centre, 20660 48th Ave.
Even though they are free, pre-registration is required by calling Linda at 604-530-1115 or emailing: adultgriefsupport@langleyhopice.com.
In the meantime, last Thursday’s event, called Paint the Town Blue, saw planted and potted trees around the hospice grounds decorated with blue lights and a number of activities offered during an afternoon open house. The purpose of the event, said hospice’s Shannon Todd Booth, was to bring awareness to the impact death has on children and teens, and to explain what services exist to help them work through it.
“It was a day focused on bringing to mind the children and teens all around us who have experienced the death of a loved one – to let them know they’re not forgotten,” Todd Booth explained. The blue lights were just a way of recognizing the grief and the kids.
READ: Langley Hospice helps grieving children
