SARATOGA SPRINGS — Grief is the collection of thoughts and feelings that occur when a loved one dies. Mourning is the expression of grief. Children have a tendency to mourn through their behavior rather than verbal expression.
At “The Wings of Hope,” the ninth annual Bereavement Camp of Hospice Services of Lake County, the emphasis was on helping children finds constructive ways to express themselves.
“So much of the grief is about the past what they have lost,” said “Wings of Hope” Bereavement Program Director Christina Drukala. “Now we”re looking at where they want to go,” she added.
The camp, which completed its closing ceremonies Thursday at the Saratoga Springs Conference and Retreat Center, is a children/parent”s support group for children from 4 to 17 years of age and their families who have suffered a loss. Although there”s a special focus on children, the gathering is really a family camp.
Last year the camp”s method of facilitating expression was through the children creating drums. This year the bereavement camp focused on the concept of the cycle of life; the children painted masks to represent their feelings and then used the masks to talk openly about their feelings without showing their faces.
“We literally created a series of paintings that had to do with a tree a tree growing, a tree dropping its leaves, a tree dying and going back to the earth, coming full circle and trying to prove that death is part of life and that life does go on,” said Drukala.
Building a small house was one of the projects by those who checked into the three-day camp on Tuesday.
Explaining the houses, Drukala said, “The pain is the chimney and the chimney is what we want to get rid of.”
This year”s camp setting was Saratoga Springs. The 260-acre facility once included a stagecoach stop, post office, restaurant and dance hall. An on-site bottling plant made it possible to drink the healing waters, as well as bathe in them.
“I really want to compliment Saratoga Springs. They have been extraordinary with us and really supported us,” Drukala said. “This is our first year here at Saratoga Springs and we have already set up for next year to come here.”
“Wings of Hope” is just one of the programs Hospice Services of Lake County conducts, and which offers help and support to county residents free of charge.
Hospice offers bereavement support, grief support groups, individual and family counseling, and specialized support groups.
There are also other programs for families throughout the year.
“What we offer families is a variety of ways of healing,” Drukala explained. “We offer alternative forms of therapeutic healing because not everyone is geared the same way. We try to design our therapeutic environments to offer different modalities.”
The cost for families to attend the annual bereavement camp is approximately $500, which comes from grants or donations from local clubs and businesses.
Anyone wishing to make a donation can call 263-6222 or visit Hospice”s new Web site which goes live this coming Monday at www.lakecountyhospice.org.
Contact Cynthia Davis at cdavis@record-bee.com.
