Hospice family care addresses the needs of the family during the patient’s illness. Bereavement support starts at the first contact with hospice and continues throughout the patient’s illness and for 13 months following the death of a loved one.

It is natural to feel grief after the loss of a loved one. Grief is an emotional experience, but it is also a physical, intellectual, social, and spiritual experience. This is all part of bereavement.

Our Bereavement program provides the following:

• • • Information about loss and the grief process.
    • Support to the grieving family and friends of the deceased through opportunities to talk about their loved one and the experience of caring for that person.
    • Assistance to survivors as they learn to cope with their loss, including help with specific problems and referrals to other community resources when indicated.
    • Individual and family counseling.
    • Volunteer visits.
    • Support groups.
    • Annual memorial service
    • Bereavement Newsletters
      • Fall+2025+Grief+Newsletter-compressed
      • Summer 2025 Grief Newsletter
      • 2025 Grief Connection January Newsletter
      • 2024 October Bereavement Newsletter

Open Grief Support Groups:

Please visit our calendar page or call the office for more information. Current support groups:

GWINN:

• Drop-in Grief Support Group
• 2nd Wednesday of the month at 2 pm
• Location: Gwinn Senior Center

MARQUETTE:

Drop-in Grief Support Group: Grief doesn't follow a schedule - and neither do we. Our drop-in grief support group offers a safe, welcoming space for anyone navigating the loss of a loved one. Join us to share, listen, or simply be among others who understand. No registration required. Come as you are, when you need it most. Takes place on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 4-5:30 PM

Location: Lake Superior Life Care & Hospice

4 Part Grief Support Series: Loss of a loved one can look different for everyone. We will be exploring feelings, support, and tools to help guide you on your grief journey. Please join us in a safe place to learn and share about the tender moments of grief. This series contains a combination of both structured and open grief sharing. Please reach out to learn about our next available series. 

Location: Lake Superior Life Care & Hospice

Common responses to the death of a loved one include:

• • • Numbness and shock.
    • A feeling of tightness in the throat or heaviness in the chest.
    • Restlessness, with a tendency to wander around the house or familiar places.
    • Crying easily, unexpectedly and intensely.
    • Loss of appetite and a hollow feeling.
    • Denial – an inability to accept the reality of the loss.
    • Low energy level and difficulty in concentrating.
    • Loss of interest in social activities or work.
    • A fear that one is experiencing a mental illness.
    • An increased number of some minor illnesses such as colds and the flu.

The bereavement staff of hospice programs are trained to handle grief issues. It is often important to hospice patients to know that their family and friends will be cared for in the emotional time just after death. Providing this support is always a part of the hospice plan of care, and makes hospice unique among health care providers.

Visit our Grief Support Page for more information.