Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter - November 2001
Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 8
November 2001
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Message from David Abrams, President
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Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at HFA. In difficult times, people traditionally draw strength from families and loved ones, which in turn can help us to remember all for which we are thankful.
And don't forget--November is National Hospice Month! We at HFA salute all of you who work every day in this important field, bringing comfort and compassion to people at the end of life. And we send our thoughts to all of you whose loved ones have been served by hospice care. Please help promote the hospice philosophy in your community by giving of your time and resources, or by spreading the word about the difference that hospice can make! November is also National Family Caregivers Month, and HFA offers its gratitude and support to all who are caring for a loved one.
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Focus on: The Importance of Ritual
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This time of the year is a time often associated with "rituals"-children returning to school; families gathering for special meals; sentimental holiday decorations being pulled out of the attic once again. For those dealing with illness, loss, and grief, these rituals-especially those associated with holidays-can be filled with sadness or anxiety. But the use of ritual can be a powerful aid in the grieving process.
Rituals around death and dying can be societal or based in faith, such as funerals and other religious services. Cultures create rituals to memorialize their loved ones, like the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos. People around the world understood the power of, and the need for, the memorial service held at Ground Zero for the families and friends of the victims of the World Trade Center attacks. But rituals can be much more personal and intimate-hanging a special ornament on the Christmas tree to remember a loved one, or returning to a special place where good times were shared. Kenneth Doka writes that ritual "...invests those most common and everyday events with special, perhaps even sacred, meaning."
To read more about the importance of ritual in the grieving process:
"Healing Rituals: Powerful and Empowering" by Alice Parsons Zulli
"Using Ritual with Children and Adolescents" by Kenneth J. Doka
When facing grief and the holidays, a powerful use of ritual can be to actually create new rituals, or to give oneself the permission to change past rituals that may be too difficult to continue. See the following to read some suggestions from Journeys readers as to how they used ritual to get through the holidays after the death of a loved one:
"Holiday Memories" by Rabbi Earl Grollman, from Holiday Journeys
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What's New@ HFA
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Hospice Foundation of America was featured in a recent USA Today article on pain management and hospice care.
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Site Coordinator's Corner
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Site Coordinator registration for this year's teleconference is well underway! If you are a past Site Coordinator, you should have received a Registration Mailing. If you haven't, please call us at 800-854-3402. Registration is also available on-line.
If you have sent in your registration, thanks for joining us! Printing and mailing services have been somewhat slow in the DC area, but your Site Coordinator's Manuals and Media Diskettes will be sent to you within the next week. You'll also receive a password to access all of the Site Coordinator information on HFA's Site Coordinator web page. If you have questions or concerns about your registration, please call us at 800-854-3402 or send an email to telecon@hospicefoundation.org.
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This newsletter is sent to more than 5,900 subscribers
on the 2nd Wednesday of every month to keep you
informed of what is happening in the fields of
hospice, grief and bereavement, and caregiving, as
well as what's new at HFA. We encourage you to forward
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This newsletter is published by Hospice Foundation of America
Jack D. Gordon, Chairman
David Abrams, President http://www.hospicefoundation.org
© Hospice Foundation of America 2001
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