The holiday season can be a uniquely difficult time for those grieving the loss of a loved one.
A 2021 survey of 2,000* U.S. adults indicated that 36 percent of respondents didn’t want to celebrate the holidays because of feelings of grief or loss. The reasons vary widely from person to person and among age groups.
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has suggested a list of websites, podcasts, and books that offer insight and experience to those who are grieving. They are also a great resource for those who wish to support a grieving friend or loved one.
This list is not exhaustive but we hope you find something that helps you or someone you love during the holiday season.
Websites:
Option B: Care for yourself & others during hardship
Center for Loss & Life Transition
Podcasts:
◾ “Facing Our Grief,” “You Are Not Alone,” and “Sadness Isn’t An Enemy,” All There Is with Anderson Cooper, CNN Audio
◾ “Moving Forward” and “Heartache,” TED Radio Hour, NPR
◾ “When Surviving Is Enough,” A Slight Change of Plans, Pushkin Industries
◾ “Learning to Live After Loss,” Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Audio
◾ “The In-Between with Hadley Vlahos,” America Dissected, Crooked Media
◾ “How Talking About Grief Can Unite Us,” End Well Podcast
◾ “The Grieving Brain with Mary-Frances O’Conner,” Being Well Podcast
◾ “Episode 34 – The Hospice Doctor’s Widow & Courageous Conversations of Precious Time,” Dr. G at the Heart of Healthcare
◾ “Why Yvette Nicole Brown Decided Honesty Is Her Superpower,” Trials to Triumph, Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins
◾ “Hui-wen Sato,” The Apologies Podcast
◾ The Adventures of Momento Mori, D.S. Moss
Books:
When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanthi
The Year of Magical Thinking – Joan Didion
The Long Goodbye – Meghan O’Rourke
Being Mortal – Atul Gawande
Choose a Good Death After a Long Life – Samuel Harrington, M.D.
A Beginner’s Guide to the End – BJ Miller M.D. and Shoshana Berger
That Good Night – Sunita Puri
Death is But a Dream – Christopher Kerr
Half a Life – Jill Cement
Blue Nights – Joan Didion
Autobiography of a Face – Lucy Grealy
Truth and Beauty – Anne Patchett
The Glass Eye – Jeannie Vanasco
Final Gifts – Maggie Callahan
Tuesdays with Morrie – Mitch Albom
On Grief and Grieving – Elizabeth Kubler Ross
How To Go on Living When Someone You Love Dies – Therese A Rando
The Other Side of Sadness – George A. Bonanno
I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye – Brooke Noel
Bearing the Unbearable – Joanne Cacciatore, PhD
All the Things We Don’t Talk About – Amy Feltman
The Art of Dying Well – Katy Butler
With the End in Mind – Kathryn Mannix
Living at the End of Life – Karen Whitley Bell, RN
Life After the Diagnosis – Steven Z. Pantilat, MD
Holiday Grief to Gratitude – Dora Carpenter
Hospice Doctor’s Widow – Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD
It’s OK that You’re Not OK – Megan Devine
The Grieving Brain – Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD
The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments – Hadley Vlahos
Conscious Grieving and Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief, Claire Bidwell Smith – LCPC
*A Look at Grief 2021: Survey Results from Experience Camps and The Harris Poll
Hospice Care Plus is a non-profit organization supporting the quality of life of its communities through hospice, palliative, and bereavement care programs. The organization serves Estill, Jackson, Lee, Madison, Owsley, and Rockcastle counties and owns and operates the Compassionate Care Center in Richmond. Relying on contributions from individuals and groups, all care is provided regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. To learn more, donate, or explore career and volunteer opportunities, visit hospicecareplus.org or call 859-986-1500.
Hospice Care Plus empowers those we serve to enjoy the highest quality of life, respecting their values, beliefs, needs, and goals through specialized care, education, resources, and grief support.
Our Service Area:
Our Home Hospice and Home Palliative Care programs serve you, wherever you call home, in the Kentucky counties of Estill, Jackson, Lee, Madison, Owsley, and Rockcastle.
Our inpatient care facility, the Compassionate Care Center, and administrative offices are located in Richmond, Kentucky.
Recent News:
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