Hospice Offers Camps to Help Children Grieve

The loss of a loved one is particularly hard on children.

“Grieving children often feel very alone,” says Vicki Merrill, LCSW, ACHP-SW from Hospice of the Bluegrass.

“Most of their friends do not understand how it feels when someone special dies.”

To help grieving children, Hospice of the Bluegrass is offering two camps for children to meet others who have lost a loved one.

These camps offer safe places to share experiences, to understand that their feelings are normal and to develop skills to cope with grief in healthy ways.

Hospice of the Bluegrass and Central Kentucky Riding for HOPE are joining forces on July 15, 16, and 18 to facilitate the bereavement program, Healing Hooves.

This daytime retreat will incorporate the use of horses to help facilitate the grieving process for Kentucky children and teenagers from ages 6 to 17 years old who have experienced the death of a loved one.

Camp HOPE will be a one-day retreat for children, ages 6 to 12, who have experienced the death of a loved one within the past two years.

Caregivers of the children are also invited to attend.

Camp HOPE will be held Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Hospice of the Bluegrass Center for Grief and Education in Lexington.
Info: (859) 277-2700 or email bgordon@hospicebg.org.