Spirituality to Be Grief Series Topic March 18 at Versailles Health Care Center

Terri Whehrley-Pyles

“Spirituality and Grief” will be the topic Tuesday, March 18 as part of the series called “Healthy Grieving” which is a collaborative effort of the Versailles Health Care Center and State of the Heart Hospice. This meeting marks the second in a series of five sessions, all conducted by bereavement specialists from State of the Heart. All sessions are free and open to anyone in the community who needs help dealing with grief and loss.

State of the Heart is a nonprofit agency which provides care and support to patients and families in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness. A team consisting of physician, nurses, health aides, social workers, chaplains, bereavement specialists, and music therapists work to address the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of both patient and family. Grief support is provided free by State of the Heart.

Conducting the “Spirituality and Grief” session will be Terri Wehrley-Pyles, a State of the Heart Licensed Social Worker who has experience in grief support.

“No two people grieve in the same manner,” Wehrley-Pyles said. “There are a variety of feelings about grief including shock, numbness, anger and sadness. Through our series we are hoping to help those who are experiencing such stages of grief after they have lost a loved one.”

She added, “The spiritual traditions of the world have prayers, rituals and liturgies that through the centuries have helped people navigate the painful path of grief. Religious and spiritual traditions offer a wide variety of coping resources for dealing with death. These resources include social support from pastors and fellow congregants/parishioners and many rites and rituals to assist mourners through the process of grieving.”

The “Spirituality and Grief” session will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 in the evening at the Versailles Health Care Center, 200 Marker Rd. in Versailles. During the free session, spirituality and how it can help in the grieving experience will be covered, Whehrley-Pyles explained.

Jackie McEldowney, a Licensed Social Worker at Versailles Health Care Center, said the series is the first such collaborative effort by the Health Care Center. She will be in attendance at the seassions. She said that the series grew out of the realization that people grieve at various times, such as holidays, and that there were other instances where grief support is needed. State of the Heart is known as the “community resource” in providing grief support not only to hospice families, but to anyone in the community who is experiencing grief. The agency provides support to both adults and children. McEldowney will be in attendance at the sessions also.

Three more grief support sessions will be held in the “Healthy Grieving” series. On June 17, the series topic will be “Feelings and Grief,” and on September 16, the topic will be “Memorializing Your Loved One.” The final session will be held December 16 and will focus on “Holiday Grief Support.” McEldowney emphasized that a person need not have any association with the Health Care Center or with State of the Heart in order to attend.

Registration is required in order to attend the sessions. Please call Jackie at 937-526-5570 for more information and to register.