Resources for Those Who Grieve
Your library can connect those managing loss to comfort and support.
Welcome to our second issue of our newsletter which helps libraries add resources for those who care for a family member. In truth, this should be our fourth issue but I just couldn’t publish in August and September. My brother unexpectedly died on August 9 and I’ve been working my way through my grief.
I thought it would be helpful to offer grief resources in this issue.
You are welcome to copy and paste any or all of the content of this newsletter on your library website. Please also feel free to share this newsletter with colleagues and friends who may benefit. (Note: We refer to individuals who care for a family member as family caregivers. We refer to the individual receiving care as caree.)
Our curated list of resources takes into account what individuals need as they mourn: compassion, understanding and time.
Apps
Actively Moving Forward® (AMF) is a national network initially created in response to the needs of grieving young adults. The app now supports adults of all ages. Lean more.
The Grief Refuge app “is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey.” Learn more.
Books
In her book Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief: A Revolutionary Approach to Understanding and Healing the Impact of Loss, Claire Bidwell Smith writes from insights gained from research and real life stories. A grief counselor, Bidwell Smith defines both anxiety and grief to help her readers make amends and take charge. Learn more.
David Kessler writes that we can heal through helping others in his book, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. Learn more.
Grief counselor Dr. Alan Wolfelt offers daily comfort to help the healing process in Grief One Day at a Time: 365 Meditations to Help You Heal After Loss. Learn more.
We offer additional recommendations in our Caregiving Books spreadsheet. You can sort the “Category” column to find books that focus on grief.
Events
We regularly host events to help those who grieve and who adjust to life after their caregiving experience ends. Our archives remain a readily available resource: Healing Before and After the Holidays and Beginning Again Retreat.
We also have a six-class course called Beginning Again. Individuals can enroll in our pilot program to receive free access to our course. Learn more.
Strategies
Our free ebook, My Daily Healing Plan, helps you find healing after a loss by taking care of your grief. The plan features a three-step process that helps you name the pain, the healing strategy and the healing outcome.
The fifth and sixth stages of the caregiving experience offer insights for those experiencing a new loss and then transitioning after loss. Learn more.
Support
We host a virtual grief support group, Grief Care and Share, on the second and third Fridays at 1 p.m. ET. RSVP to join us.
Our community, Caring Our Way, on Mighty Networks features a group called Healing Our Way as well as an area to post questions for Certified Caregiving Consultants (CCCs). The CCCs completed professional training and have personal caregiving experiences which means they understand the grieving process. It’s free to join and to post questions. CCCs also are available for a free 30-minute consultation and can be hired to become personal consultant for a former family caregiver. Join Caring Our Way and then click through to our groups called “Ask a CCC” and “Healing Our Way.”
Share Your Resources
Please feel free to add any additional resources to help manage caregiving stress in our comments section.
If we can help, please reach out to me.
Thanks so much for all you to support those who mourn in your community.
(Image by Kranich17 from Pixabay)