At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Anne Baker about healing and helping through hospice.

Anne’s losses started early, when she was just 7 years old her mother died suddenly. Just three years later, Anne’s little sister died. At that point in Anne’s life, there was no outlet for her to share her loss with others who have gone through the same thing.

After two significant losses in her life, Anne went on to become a volunteer for Hospice Caring, which is a non-medical, volunteer-based hospice in Montgomery, Maryland. Anne is now one of the directors of bereavement and helps others find hope and meaning through loss.

If you are going through a loss, would it help you to seek the type of services that Anne provides? Hear her answer that question in the video below.

Here are some key takeaways from the video:

• Whether or not you should seek the the type of services Anne provides depends on each individual’s needs.
• Anne says that you don’t necessarily need to have experienced a loss through hospice to seek their services. Anyone who is grieving is welcome to the bereavement services.
• Anne explains that at her hospice they’ve had people come in, 20 years after the fact, who have decided they finally need to come to terms with their grief in a different way.
• One of the things Anne does is go into schools and offer a 7 week program for kids who have lost someone. She also goes to schools in her district and offers sessions where students can go just to talk in general about grief and how to deal with death.
• Anne explains that at her hospice it’s all about being with a community of people who have suffered a loss, and who are figuring out different ways to channel that energy.

For more video interviews, please see the Open To Hope YouTube channel.