Lory’s Place Provides When Families Grieve Kits to Local Libraries

Oct. 22, 2010 - PRLog -- How does a child learn to cope with the death of a parent?  Children are often confused and anxious after this tragic event; they may have problems sleeping and eating. Some become withdrawn, while others lash out in anger.  Where do the caring adults in their lives find resources to help them?  

Lory’s Place, the Grief Healing and Education Center of Hospice at Home is providing When Families Grieve, kits created by Sesame Street Workshop, to local libraries.

The death of a parent is one of the most challenging things a child can face. Approximately 2.5 million children under age 18 have experienced the death of a parent. The TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) estimated that the nearly  5,500 U.S. military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan have left approximately 4,000 children without a parent.

In response, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street launched When Families Grieve, an outreach initiative that provides free resources in support of families with young children, in the general public and in the military, coping with the death of a parent. Materials, in both English and Spanish, were provided in kit form to Lory’s Place as well as other bereavement centers across the United States.

The multimedia kits, created by Sesame Workshop, present families’ personal stories about coping with the death of a parent, as well as strategies that have helped these families move forward. Katie Couric is featured in some of the segments. The kit resources were developed to try to help families with young children:
•   Reduce the levels of anxiety, sadness, and confusion that children may experience following the death of a parent;
•   Provide families with age-appropriate tools to support and comfort children, including ways to talk about death with a young child; and
•   Reassure children that they are loved and safe, and that together with their families and friends, they can learn ways of being there for one another and move forward.
“Death is part of life, but it is frequently very difficult for families to discuss,” said Lisa Bartoszek, Director of Hospice at Home Bereavement and Lory’s Place. “We are pleased that Sesame Street, with its background in child development, is addressing this difficult topic with sensitivity, caring and warmth.” Sesame Street also provides streaming video and resources on its website at website www.sesamestreet.org/grief.

Lory’s Place, a Grief Healing Center of Hospice at Home, provides tools to help children and adults cope with death, begin the healing process and ultimately adjust to the new normal of life in the healthiest way possible. Since opening on November 15, 2004, hundreds of children from Allegan, Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties in Michigan, as well as from Elkhart and South Bend in Indiana, have taken the courageous step of accessing the bereavement resource services of Lory’s Place.   With professional staff and trained volunteers, Lory’s Place provides regularly scheduled age-appropriate support group sessions, resources, and education. There is no charge for the programs and services that Lory’s Place provides.

To receive more information about the When Children Grieve kits or Lory’s Place call 269-983-2707 or 1-800-717-3812, or go to www.lorysplace.org.

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Hospice at Home is your non-profit hospice provider for SW Michigan. Offering comfort, dignity, and compassion to the terminally ill through a holistic, non-curative, approach to care, focused on enhancing the lives of patients for their remaining days.