Understanding and Managing Grief, June 19 - June 25, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Friend Grief: Giving a Eulogy for Your Friend, http://bit.ly/myW8kx via @friendgrief 

• Getting On With Life – What Does It Mean? by guest blogger Alice Wisler, http://bit.ly/iEAw3h via @Esdeer

• Ten Things Not to Say to Baby Loss Parents, http://ow.ly/5nj0P via @Kristine_Brite

•  Mother Loss: What I Didn’t Expect When Grieving, http://bit.ly/iO9AW8 via @emembrance via @ChelseaHanson

• What I tell my granddaughter about her mother's suicide, http://bit.ly/jc1apt via @globeandmail @afspnational 

Caregiving and Hospice, June 19 - June 25, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Making pets a part of your caregiving routine, http://tinyurl.com/69nauvk via @caracappa 

• Online Seminar: Talking with Older Drivers about Safety, http://aarp.us/wntt5 via @AARPdsp

• 13 Secrets that Make Caregiving Easier, http://bit.ly/kF9JVO via @wellwritwitch

• 50-50 Rule: How adult siblings can help aging parents, http://bit.ly/iSQh6I via @wellwritwitch 

• Minnesota program helps patients discuss end-of-life planning, http://bit.ly/ltLc4p via @hospicepharmacy 

Coping with Pet Loss, June 19 - June 25, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Another reason to support and love hospice, http://ow.ly/5oUPn @jessicajohanna @vTinaB @renee_berry via @TheYoungTurks

• My dog memoir, recommended by @BFAS. Available in eBook and Paperback, http://amzn.to/hOE0YQ by @MarkJAsher

• Outstanding! Suffering: Barking Up the Wrong Tree, http://bit.ly/NEPHSuffering by @NEPetHospice via @PetEndofLife

• The Cost of Caring, http://bit.ly/kl42z2 by Speaking for Spot

• Don't postpone hospice care for fear of relinquishing beloved pets, http://t.co/4Eq0sB9 via @petpeaceofmin

Camp Widow 2011

In case you're not aware of it, I want to tell you about a wonderful program offered by the Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation.  An annual event created by widows for widows, Camp Widow™ is a weekend-long gathering of widowed people from across the country, and around the world, coming together to create a community that understands the life altering experience of widowhood. Camp Widow™ provides practical tools, valuable resources, and peer-based encouragement for rebuilding your life in the aftermath of the death of a spouse--all in a fun, uplifting, laughter-filled atmosphere.

This year, Camp Widow™ will be held at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina in San Diego, California from August 12-14, 2011.

Understanding and Managing Grief, June 12 - June 18, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Sacred Journey Retreat for widows, by the Grief Project Leadership Team, http://bit.ly/jOi8M6 via @Joannefunch

• Grieving Well: Meditation To Grow Through Loss, http://huff.to/kOOJNC via @Joannefunch

• Controlling Anger -- Before It Controls You, http://bit.ly/iVzYMC 

• Excellent! There Are No Medications for Acute Grief, http://t.co/EEBill7 by @DoctorKaraPC via @utahpolitics

• Touching! Ten Things You Should Know About Daddy Part II, http://ow.ly/5kcAG by @Kristine_Brite

Caregiving and Hospice, June 12 - June 18, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Transforming Caregiving: You Are Not Alone, http://ow.ly/5kVnd via @CAREjourney

• New at caregiving? Here's what to expect, http://ow.ly/5jV5A via @BodyAwareGrief @VillageMemorial @eldercarelink1

• What is pain? New short film and Pain Policy blog, http://wp.me/p1pJHd-5b via @jfclearywisc

• Book review, Learning How to Die: Handbook for Mortals http://t.co/83CtxnC via @DeathwDignity @hospicepharmacy 

• "Putting good info in people's hands leads to better-informed decisions. Thanks for your help," from @AliveHospice to @GriefHealing

Coping with Pet Loss, June 12 - June 18, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Touching video of hospice pets adopted through UMC ministry, http://youtu.be/5Q3namLRmjA via @nneelley

• Heartwarming: Dying Man's Final Wish to be Reunited With Dog, http://bit.ly/loUUMm via @hospicepharmacy

• Lost Pets: Tips on Getting Fluffy and Fido Back Home Again, http://bit.ly/mE0AJd by @PetMD via @Vet4Pets

• Camarillo Hospice holds support group for petloss, http://bit.ly/l6BYMq via @hospice_news 

Teen Misses Uncle’s Visitation and Funeral

Image source: www.bigstock.com

[Reviewed and updated December 6, 2021]

A reader writes:  I am 14 years old.  I didn't get to view my uncle’s body or go to his funeral, so I’d like to know what you can do to be able to move on when you didn't get a funeral.  Any tips?

My Response: I'm so sorry to learn of the death of your uncle, and especially sorry that you were unable to be present for his visitation and funeral.  I think your question serves to remind us of the value of the funeral – not for the deceased, but as a source of comfort to the relatives and friends of the loved one who has died. The visitation and funeral can be an important first step in the mourner’s journey through grief, as it offers the first opportunity to mourn the loss of a special person in the presence of others who also are in mourning. In addition, visiting the funeral home, seeing the body, and attending and participating in the funeral service all help to confirm and reinforce the reality of the death.

Caregiving and Hospice, June 5 - June 11, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• How pets benefit us, including how his dog Rosie helps keep him healthy, http://t.co/SQLk2EX by @DrOz via @DrMartyBecker

• Broken promises in caregiving: Embrace Your Limits, free Webinar offers help, http://t.co/yS3MVAG by @caregiving 

• Great Article! Hospice: An Underutilized Resource Obscured by Myths, http://bit.ly/kvdxRl by @Seniors4Living via @SilveradoSenior

• Not All Attention is Created Equal | The Unprepared Caregiver, http://bit.ly/kNKF61

• Opiophobia in the United States: history and video, http://bit.ly/iHs3vS via @asra_husain

Understanding and Managing Grief, June 5 - June 11, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Sacred Spaces for Grieving, to connect and remember, http://tinyurl.com/6hn8lb8 by @esdeer via @faymclean

• Free Father’s DayWebinar: The Many Aspects of Loss, Monday, June 13, http://t.co/nCf3f6C by @opentohope

• Death of a Sibling: Overlooked Grief, http://bit.ly/klUi2p via @hospicepharmacy

• Excellent! Helping Your Teen Understand Death and Grief, http://ow.ly/5dzV4 @KidsHealth via @Work2MakeChange

• Beautiful! Action preempts grief when assigning meaning to life's work, http://bit.ly/iyf2QL by @StoryForHealing