“It is better to walk with a friend in the dark than to walk alone in the light.”
–Helen Keller

Ambercare® Hospice offers bereavement services at no charge to the loved ones of patients who passed away while in our care as well as to the community at large. Our trained and compassionate staff is committed to walking with you through this most difficult journey and we encourage you to let us know how we can be of help to you.

Bereavement Services include:

• Support groups that are open to anyone who has lost a loved one and feels they might benefit from sharing the grief journey. The groups provide a small, welcoming, and safe environment for ease of sharing. They run weekly for six weeks with both morning and early evening times available. Please call for details.
• One-on-One sessions that may be arranged with our Bereavement Coordinator and which can be set-up with just a phone call and tailored to accommodate to accommodate your schedule.
• Bereavement support that continues for thirteen months beyond the death of a loved one in order to provide the continual encouragement and information needed to navigate the grief journey.
• Pre-Bereavement services offer support for those struggling with the anticipation of death through the opportunity to discuss your concerns with a Bereavement Coordinator.

Hospice patients from both Albuquerque and Santa Fe worked closely with New Mexico composers, musicians, visual artists and writers to create new pieces which were performed by local musicians and choirs including Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera, Dolce Suono of the University of New Mexico and Your Song, a Threshold choir.

The Albuquerque performance was on May 1^st at the Hispanic Cultural Center and the Santa Fe event was May 2^nd at the Lensic Theatre. Both enjoyed a full house where audience members included hospice patients and families, Ambercare staff, members of the community and nursing home staff.  Reactions from the audience included a profound sense of emotion when faced with the combination of the beauty and poignancy of the human story mixed with a high level of creative genius.

A highlight of the Santa Fe performance was the presentation of the Golden Heart award to Virginia Gilstrap, an Ambercare hospice nurse who has worked at the Santa Fe office

over five years.  In addition to being a model for patience and compassion, Virginia is also a talented musician and singer.  She performed at the Lensic with Littleglobe artists and supported two of her patients in their participation of the event.

Ambercare looks forward to continuing our collaboration with Littleglobe and the Santa Fe opera as well as expanding our reach into the realm of hospice and the arts.

Camille Adair, RN

Director of Community Education

What

Bereavement/Grief Support Groups are small groups of individuals from all walks of life coming together with one common bond:  loss of a loved one. Group members support each other as they learn ways to cope with grief.  There is no fee. 

Who

Anyone who has lost a loved one more than three months ago is welcome, whether or not they received Ambercare services. 

Why

The purpose of coming together is to gain strength in knowing what is “normal” in the experience of grief, and to learn from one another. Some members share their stories, some just prefer to listen.

When

The group is scheduled to meet from 10:00-11:30 am, beginning Wednesday morning, February 10, 2010  and meeting every Wednesday for six weeks, ending March 17, 2010.

Where

We will meet at Ambercare Hospice located at 2129 Osuna Rd. NE. 

To register, please call Patti Drake at 244-0046.

Ambercare® Hospice offers the opportunity for volunteers to provide much needed companionship and support to patients and their families.  As a vital part of the hospice care team, volunteers receive special training, guidance and supervision that allows them to feel comfortable in the important role that they play in patient’s lives.  By giving the gift of their time, volunteers receive a meaningful and rewarding experience in return.

Volunteer activities may include:

• Reading to patients
• Running errands or performing household chores
• Sharing music or singing
• Playing games
• Praying or reading the Bible
• Preparing food
• Helping with crafts or other hobbies
• Taking walks
• Life review through sharing pictures or stories
• Watching TV or movies
• Helping with letter writing or making phone calls
• Helping the hospice staff with clerical tasks, special projects or fundraisers

For more information contact Jude Quintana 861-0060 or jquintana@ambercare.com