Grief Support

So, what is Aftercare? It is our mission to provide emotional and educational support to bereaved families; especially after the funeral. What we like to call “Service Beyond the Service.”

We are committed to the service of the family from the first call, through the arrangements, at the visitation, and through the funeral and committal services. Our service does not stop with the funeral service. Our goal extends to helping families and their loved ones work through the grieving process for as long as they need our guidance. Grief is the natural response to the death of someone you love, or the loss of something important to you. Grief is a personal experience. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to grieve. There is no appropriate “time frame for grief”. At times, grieving is hard work.

How can we help? Our Aftercare Coordinator; a Register Nurse, is available to speak to our families on a one to one basis when needed. It might be as simple as a few words over the phone, a personal note, a trip out to lunch, or perhaps even a home visit for a cup of tea and much appreciated conversation. She can assist with referrals to clergy, community support groups and web resources as needed. The program is designed with flexibility, based on the need of the individual.

Monthly Bereavement Educational Groups
The staff of the Spear-Miller Funeral Home encourage continued grief support following the death of a loved one. Our Aftercare Coordinator has formed a collaborative relationship with the ministry staff of compassionate facilitators at St. Pius X Church, Fairfield, to enable our families to work through the grieving process by attending a monthly support group which meets on the second Saturday of each month from October through June of each year from 11 am to 1 pm. This Bereavement Group addresses two phases of the grieving process.
PART I: “The Journey to Light” ; is a structured group/workshop which assists individuals to work through the four early phases of grief:

1. To accept the reality of the loss.
2. To experience the pain of grief.
3. To adjust to an environment in which the deceased is missing.
4. To “emotionally relocate” the deceased and move on with life.

Discussions continue as individuals continue the grieving process, and issues are discussed such as:

• Journeying toward new life.
• Moving toward closure.
• Workbooks are provided free of cost.

PART II: “The Journey Continues” : this is a less structured; open conversation group of individuals who have completed PART I Bereavement and addresses issues associated with:
Coping with Loss and Life after loss. Light refreshments are provided, and the group is free of charge. Address: St Pius X Church Portable Classroom ~ Religious Education Center 834 Brookside Drive Fairfield, CT 06824.

Grief Resource Library
A variety of topics on grief and grieving are available in our main office and may be borrowed by families requesting to do so.

Annual Interfaith Remembrance Service
This touching candlelight prayer service honors and remembers all of the family members served by the Spear-Miller Funeral Home through the year. This service provides our families and opportunity to gather and remember their loved ones.

If you are grieving the death of a loved one, we know this is a difficult time, and that you are hurting. We encourage you to embrace your feelings of grief, and to begin your grief process with a solid foundation of information and awareness. We hope that our Aftercare Program will be fundamentally helpful in assisting you on that journey.