In another example of agencies looking for ways to meet mental health needs remotely, Fort Wayne’s Visiting Nurse is hosting a free webinar on dealing with grief during the pandemic.
Scheduled for noon Thursday, April 30 and offered by the Peggy F. Murphy Community Grief Center, the webinar will address coping methods for those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19, those anticipating such a loss, or people and families who are struggling with the disease.
Other agencies, such as Parkview Health and the Bowen Center, have switched to providing tele-mental health services due to social distancing measures in place at this time.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has claimed more than fifty thousand lives throughout the United States.
Because of the nature of the contagion, it is common for those who are stricken with the virus and near death in a hospital to have no contact with friends or family members as they near the end.
That has caused a disruption to the normal grieving pattern, and social distancing measures have also made funerals and memorial services less-likely to occur.
It is often falling to frontline hospital workers to provide comfort to those stricken with the illness as hospital visitors are forbidden.
Visiting Nurse Bereavement Coordinator David Wurst says the webinar will provide ways to manage grief. He plans to offer avenues to lessen anxieties, practice good self-care and find support in creative ways.
The hour-long webinar is free, but registration is required. Click here to register.
