Grieving for the loss of our loved ones begins even before the actual time of death: We grieve for loss of the relationship, loss of the interaction, and loss of all types of support that our loved one may have given us. We grieve for the changes that occurred in our loved one’s life and the suffering that he or she may have gone through; we grieve for the end of the opportunity to do the things we wanted to do together, and we grieve at the ending of the connection with that person here on earth, the ability to communicate immediately and directly; We grieve for the end of a life together as we knew it, not knowing the changes to come.

Grief is more than sadness, it may feel overwhelming and consuming. However, grieving is a healthy and natural reaction, and all of us go through it at one time or another. It’s part of life, just as the death of this body is common to all of us. It is said that the loss of a loved one is “something that you may get used to, but you don’t necessarily totally get over it.” We learn to cope with it.

But grieving can lead to depression and ineffective coping. Home Health & Hospice of Montana provides bereavement support services and counseling to all family members for up to one year after the death of the hospice patient. This includes children as well as parents, spouses as well as siblings. The hospice counselors will evaluate the family to determine who may have a greater need for bereavement counseling. This counseling may be in the family’s home or at another meeting place; the important thing to remember is that the hospice benefit includes support even after the time of your loved one’s death (for up to a year and one month after.)