UnityPoint bereavement team offers workshops on dealing with grief

Quad Citians who are navigating the death of a loved one can find support and help from UnityPoint Health.

“While death is a part of life, you are never prepared for the emotions that come after the loss of a loved one. The way we grieve is personal to each one of us, but grief is not something you have to go through alone,” said Lauren Gil Hayes, LMSW, LSW, bereavement coordinator at UnityPoint. “Although there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there are healthy and effective ways to cope, and we’re pleased to offer and facilitate some opportunities for our community.”

UnityPoint has several programs to help people deal with grief, including:

• Muscatine Support Group, meets the first Friday of the month from 2 – 3:30 p.m. at the Musser Public Library 408 East Second Street in Muscatine.

• Moline Support Group, meets the first and third Tuesdays of the month from 10 – 11:30 a.m. at the Butterworth Center, 1105 Eighth Street in Moline.

• Crafty Grief: Arts & Crafts for the Grieving Heart events at the UnityPoint at Home Quad Cities offices, 106 19th Avenue in Moline. All workshops and supplies are free and open to the public. Projects include Love Jars Saturday, February 10 from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Jewelry & Bead Making, Saturday, April 13 from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Garden Art Saturday, June 1 from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

“Each time we meet, we engage in a creative project with others who have experienced loss. Sometimes therapeutic, always fun,” says Gil-Hayes. “This event is open to all ages and for all grievers.”

The UnityPoint at Home Quad Cities offices are also the home of the Grief Book Club. The first eight people to register receive a free copy. Books should be read before the meeting.

• Saturday, March 2 from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Book: A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. Lewis wrote his way through grief after his wife, Joy, died. He never expected the work to be published, but his reflections on grief, his shaken faith and his new community remain poignant since its publication in 1961.

• Saturday, May 4, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Book: Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Adichie wrote to process her loss after her father died in 2020. In her book, she writes about being one of the millions of people grieving during the COVID-19 epidemic, about the familial and cultural dimensions of grief and about the unavoidable loneliness and anger.

“This Club meets two to four times a year and reads self-help, therapy and memoirs related to loss,” says Gil Hayes.

There are also monthly grief-focused workshops and events that are held at local organizations and congregations and are completely free. Events cover the many styles and methods of coping with grief. In addition to these groups and events, one-on-one support from a bereavement coordinator is available at no charge.

To set up an appointment, register for an event or ask questions, contact the bereavement. Call Lauren Gil Hayes, LMSW, LSW at (309) 207-0772 or email . Click here for more information or to register for a session.