Bereavement Help Ease A Loss Help Ease A Loss (H.E.A.L.) grief support meetings are held weekly at Hospice Maui to help people deal with the loss of loved ones. Meetings are free and open to the public – they are not restricted to the families of patients who have been on hospice service. Trained counselors and social workers facilitate the meetings. They are held alternately on Tuesday or Wednesday each week in the Hospice Maui Meeting Room at 400 Mahalani Street, Wailuku. Meetings usually last for an hour to an hour and a half, and the Tuesday sessions are at 6pm, while Wednesdays begin at 3pm. The schedule for the remainder of 2009 is shown in this section of our website.
No one is required to talk. It is difficult for most of us to share our feelings, particularly when the death may have been recent. We do ask that everyone listen with an open mind. H.E.A.L. members are very tolerant of others’ views. After the death of a loved one, many priorities and values may change. Since grief affects us all differently, many people don’t feel the need of a support group until years after the death of a loved one. It’s all right to come to meetings whenever you are ready, whether it’s soon after the death or even years later. No reservations are neded – come whenever you feel up to it. We do suggest, however, that you determine if the meeting is on Tuesday or Wednesday for the week you plan to begin attending. You can check the Maui News Datebook that week, call Hospice Maui at 244-5555, or check the H.E.A.L. Meeting Schedule right here on our website. |
If comfortable enough, people introduce themselves and share their stories and feelings. Participants talk about the deaths of loved ones, the effects the deaths have had on their lives, how they are working through their grief, processes that help them, challenges they are facing, and any other topics that may be connected to their loss.