Hospice support and resources.
Comfort and care after your loss.
Watching a loved one go through hospice care for end-stage terminal illness is extraordinarily difficult. Mourning their loss can be painful and lonely. We proudly offer the following resources and are here to support you in any way possible.
Bereavement support.
Whether your loss is recent or happened some time ago, we want to help you understand and process your grief. Our services are offered to you at no cost.
Our Bereavement Support Services Team includes trained counselors, therapists, child grief specialists and volunteers that can provide guidance on working through your grief or simply listen to your thoughts and feelings
We will work with you through home visits, phone calls and support group meetings.
We are here for you. Call us at 321.434.1744 if you would like to begin bereavement support services.
Support groups and programs.
The loss of a loved one to suicide presents unique challenges. This group is open to adult family members and close friends in our community who need a supportive space to process their grief.
- Melbourne - 1st & 3rd Wednesday
- Merritt Island - 2nd & 4th Wednesday
At any age, the loss of a child is devastating. We provide a caring space for grieving parents to share their experiences and memories of their adult child.
Grief can be particularly isolating when it’s not recognized by others. We offer a supportive environment for the LGBTQ community to express their feelings, explore coping strategies, and navigate the grief journey.
This group offers a safe space for adults to share their grief and learn practical strategies for coping, building resilience, and staying connected with loved ones.
- Melbourne - 1st Tuesday of each month from 6-7:30p.m.
An informal morning walk at the Melbourne Mall, offering a supportive space to connect, move, and find comfort while navigating grief through gentle fitness.
- Melbourne - 1st & 3rd Tuesday, 11-12p.m.
Afternoon group designed for those navigating their first year of grief, providing support and connection during this challenging time.
- Melbourne - 1st & 3rd Thursday, 11-12:30p.m.
Call Shoshana Amores 321.434.3008.
- Merritt Island – 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 2-3:30p.m.
Call Charles Parker, MDiv, CTP at 321.471.4574.
Evening groups focused on loved ones (spouses, friends, siblings, or parents) who are in their first year of grief.
- Melbourne - 2nd and 4th Wednesday, 6–7:30 p.m.
Call Karis Willis, LMHC at 321.434.3239.
- Merritt Island -1st Tuesday from 6-7:30 p.m.
An afternoon group providing a supportive space for those navigating the second year of grief, offering connection, understanding, and continued healing.
- Melbourne -2nd & 4th Thursday 2-3:30p.m.
This children’s program is focused on age-appropriate grief support. Through positive peer interaction, we help children of all ages share and heal together with their families after the loss of a loved one.
To learn more, visit Bright Star page or call 321.434.7622.
Commemorative Brick Paver program.
To provide continued support for the William Childs Hospice House, commemorative bricks can be purchased to honor your loved ones. Each brick will be placed in pathways surrounding the Hospice House. The Brick Paver program is managed through the Health First Foundation.
Twice a year — in the spring and fall — we hold a service for family and friends to pay tribute to their memory and view the bricks.
Would you like to purchase a brick to honor your loved one and support the compassionate care of the hospice team?
Learn more about our brick paver program
Spiritual care.
Finding comfort in spiritual care is personal and individual. If you find solace in the traditions of your religion, we can help support you.
Hospice of Health first is not affiliated with any religious group and we respect the diverse needs of our patients. We can work alongside your own spiritual advisor or you are welcome to meet with our hospice chaplain.
It is common to struggle with understanding and acceptance when someone close to you passes away. We are here to support you in any way possible.
Griefwords online library.
These thoughtful articles provide guidance and direction for anyone touched by grief.
Helping yourself with grief
Someone you love has died. You are now faced with the difficult, but important, need to mourn. Mourning is the open expression of your thoughts and feelings regarding the death and the person who died. It is an essential part of healing. The following articles provide many practical suggestions to help you move toward healing in your unique grief journey.
- You Must Say Hello Before You Say Goodbye
- You Must Make Friends with the Darkness Before You Can Enter the Light
- You Must Go Backward Before You Can Go Forward
- Mustering the Courage to Mourn
- Love and Grief: In Communion and Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts
- Will I Befriend My Feelings Or Will I Deny Them
- Will I Grieve or Will I Mourn
- Helping Yourself Heal When Someone Dies
- Helping Yourself Heal When Your Child Dies
- Helping Yourself Heal When Your Spouse Dies
- Helping Yourself Heal When a Parent Dies
- Helping Yourself When a Baby Dies
- Helping Yourself Heal During the Holiday Season
- Helping Dispel 5 Common Myths About Grief
- Helping Yourself Live When You Are Seriously Ill
- Helping Yourself Live When You Are Dying
- Exploring the Uniqueness of Your Suicide Grief
- Healing Your Traumatized Heart: Seeking Safety, Understanding, and Peace Part 1
- Healing Your Traumatized Heart: Seeking Safety, Understanding, and Peace Part 2
- Healing Your Grieving Body: Physical Practices for Mourners
- The Spiritual Path to Healing: An Introduction
- The Spiritual Path to Healing: Mourning Ideas, Part 1
- The Spiritual Path to Healing: Mourning Ideas, Part 2
- The Spiritual Path to Healing: Mourning Ideas, Part 3
- The Spiritual Path to Healing: Mourning Ideas, Part 4
- Dispelling the Misconceptions About Suicide and Grief and Mourning
- The Capacity to Love Requires the Necessity to Mourn
- Helping Yourself Heal When an Adult Sibling Dies
- Helping Your Family Heal After Stillbirth
- Healing Your Grief About Getting Older
- Embracing the Sadness of Grief
- Helping a Friend or Family Member After a Cancer Diagnosis
- When Your Soulmate Dies
Helping others with grief
A friend has experienced the death of someone loved. How can you help? The following articles provide many practical suggestions for helping others with grief.
- Helping a Friend in Grief
- Helping a Man Who is Grieving
- Helping a Friend Who is Dying
- Helping a Friend Who is Seriously Ill
- Helping a Suicide Survivor Heal
- Helping a Homicide Survivor Heal
- Helping a Grandparent Who Is Grieving
- Helping a Grieving Friend in the Workplace
- Helping AIDS Survivors Heal
- Helping SIDS Survivors Heal
- Helping Your Family When a Member is Dying
- Helping Your Family When a Member is Seriously Ill
- Helping Your Family Cope When a Pet Dies
- Helping Your Family Decide if Organ and Tissue Donation is Right for You
- Helping a Friend or Family Member After a Cancer Diagnosis
- Helping Your Family Heal After Miscarriage
- Helping Yourself Heal When Someone You Care About Dies of a Drug Overdose
For and About Grieving Children and Teenagers
Children and teenagers have special needs following the death of a friend or family member. The following articles provide wonderful insight in helping children and teens understand and express their grief.
- Helping Children Cope with Grief
- Helping Teenagers Cope with Grief
- Helping Infants and Toddlers When Someone They Love Dies
- Helping Children with Funerals
- Helping Children Understand Cremation
- Helping a Child Who is Seriously Ill
- Helping a Child Who is Dying
- Helping Grieving Children at School
- Helping Bereaved Siblings Heal
- Finding the Right Words: Guidelines on how to talk to grieving children about death
Funerals, Memorials, Cremation, and Related Topics
The days following the death of a loved one can be filled with sadness and confusion. The following articles can help you understand the importance of the rituals surrounding death.
- Helping Your Family Personalize the Funeral
- Helping Create a Meaningful Eulogy
- Ten Freedoms for Creating a Meaningful Funeral
- Why is the Funeral Ritual Important?
For Funeral Directors
Effectively meeting the grief needs of customers in an increasingly impersonal world takes special effort on the part of professionals in the grief industry. The following articles are designed to help funeral directors gauge their own effectiveness and meet the challenges of serving customer needs.
- It's the Experience That Counts: Funeral Home Customer Service for Today's Families
- And We Wonder Why People Question the Need for Funerals...
- Creating Excellence in Customer Service
- The Dirty Dozen of Customer Service
- E-Serving Families: How Your Website Should Help Your Customers
- Listening to (and Satisfying) the Never-Satisfied Customer
For Hospices and Other Caregivers
Caregivers have special needs of their own. The following articles are designed to help caregivers take care of themselves as well as those who are suffering from loss.
- Companioning the Bereaved: An Introduction
- Tenet 1: Companioning Principle
- Tenet 2: Companioning Principle
- The Awesome Power of "Telling The Story": Why I'm Proud to be a Grief Counselor
- Caregiver as Gardener: A Parable
- Companioning vs. Treating: Beyond The Medical Model of Bereavement Caregiving
- Growing Through Grief: The Role of Support Groups
- Responding to Problems in the Support Group Setting
- The Bereavement Caregiver's Self-Care Guidelines