Friends and Neighbors

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Our very best wishes to you and yours during this uncharted time!  We remain committed to serving you and other members of our community who need support during their own or their loved ones’ end-of-life journeys, and those who are grieving. 

During this unprecedented time of the coronavirus outbreak, we want you to know our organization is healthy at 40 years strong, and we are doing what we need to do to continue serving those who need our care, including:

• Volunteers and staff supporting patients and caregivers via phone and other electronic means; including 25 families during the initial transition to phone support.  It is heart-warming to hear a volunteer describe her continuing sessions reading books aloud via phone to her hospice patient.
• One-on-one phone support for people who are grieving, including 53 individuals within the first two weeks of going “virtual”.  We know that grieving will continue to increase during this time of isolation and the many losses people are experiencing, and we are here to provide needed support.
• Our well-trained and dedicated volunteers are receiving information, guidance and support through their respective program leaders, including training in the use of Zoom for online meetings and team education and support (51 volunteers trained within that same two-week period).
• We are utilizing online tools such as Facebook and Zoom to connect with volunteers and community members to offer Adult Education and other workshops (45 participants in two workshops to date).
• We are active with several networks of community service providers to ensure availability of supportive care and connection for members of our community throughout this time of challenge.

Until we are able to return to our normal in-person service, please take good care of yourselves and your loved ones!  

2020 Spring Grief Support Group

A message from HVHC director, Jody Wolford-Tucker,

At each change of season there are new reminders of loved ones lost and past times shared. As we head toward spring here in Downeast Maine, individuals may experience grief related to the loss of a loved one, which can create emptiness and difficulty enjoying the opportunities of the season. Providing a safe space to acknowledge those feelings and receive support for moving through them, Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County announces the 2020 Spring Grief Support Group series.

Because it has proved so successful, we are again offering support groups specifically focused to the needs of the participants, inviting interested members to register in advance, with meeting times to be established based on participants' availability.

Examples of Support Groups to be offered include: Widows, Widowers and Partners; Grieving the Loss of a Loved One to Drug Overdose; Parents and Grandparents who are Grieving the Loss of a Child (of any age), and Grieving the Loss of a Loved One to Suicide. In addition, an Aging and Loss Workshop is already scheduled with times set for Mondays, April 13 through May 18, at the YWCA in Bar Harbor.

All groups are free of charge and require pre-registration.

Registration Form 

For more information or to register for any of these groups, please call the Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County office at 667-2531.