TRU

Caring For Our Community Since 1976.

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TRU Grief Services: Reaching Out and Leveling Up

January 11, 2023 by TRU Community Care

TRU Grief Services wrapped up 2022 by reaching out to our community and “leveling up” the services we provide.

In November 2022, TRU’s Grief  Services team offered a grief support group titled “Stepping into the Holidays” to encourage participants to explore the possibilities of celebrating and connecting with loved ones in meaningful ways.” The group was offered at both the Longmont and Lafayette Senior Centers, as well as at TRU’s Trailridge office, and was well-received and attended by more than 30 participants.

Part of taking care of our community means taking care of our employees and volunteers. After the Club Q tragedy in Colorado Springs, TRU Grief Services quickly came together to offer a safe space for employees and volunteers to gather, grieve, and support one another. After facilitating this virtual gathering, TRU Grief Counselor Richard Mercer shared, “My experience of last night’s group was energizing. Because the group was small, it was intimate. Folks appeared to connect and share from the depths of their hearts.”

Providing the best possible care for our bereaved clients entails staying current with the latest and most effective therapeutic modalities, and we are pleased to announce that TRU Grief Counselor Richard Mercer and TRU counseling intern Jessica Austin recently completed EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy training. EMDR is a modality found to be effective in healing trauma and addressing anxiety, depression, and other conditions. “EMDR has been proven effective in many studies, and has been adopted by the VA as a reimbursable treatment for PTSD,” said TRU Grief Counselor, Charley Rosicky. Including Sue Ann Belmont, who had already been trained in EMDR, three of TRU’s five grief counselors are now able to offer this valuable service to our clientele.

To learn more about our grief service programs, groups, counselors, and resources, please visit trucare.org/grief.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Grief

TRU Grief Services Hosting Mother’s Day Event

April 17, 2017 by TRU Community Care

We invite you to join us in creating a remembrance wreath to honor a loved one.

For
Children, teens, and families coping with loss

What

In this hands-on art workshop, you’ll create a wreath to remember someone who has died – a mother, an aunt, a grandma, or a friend.  Wreaths represent the circle of life and the four seasons.

Why

Play and art can act as a catalyst for processing grief. This Mother’s Day, please join us to make something beautiful to honor and remember the special lady who touched your life.

When: Saturday, May 13, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Location:  TRU Community Care Grief Services, 2593 Park Lane, Lafayette, CO 80026

Register: Contact 303.604.5330

Learn more about TRU Community Care Grief Services.

 

Filed Under: Grief, Community, Events, Children, Adult

TRU Grief News: Grieving Our Losses

April 7, 2017 by TRU Community Care

Image Credit: Markus Spiske

It’s important for us to pay attention to our emotions. Naturally, we have less difficulty with the so-called positive emotions. People don’t mind feeling joy and happiness.

Fear, grief, and despair are uncomfortable. In our culture, we call them “negative” and think of them as “bad.” But these emotions are an inevitable part of the human experience – a rich, fertile, dark soil from which something unexpected can bloom. They bring us important information about ourselves and the world and can be vehicles of profound transformation.

If we try to escape from a hard grief, we may experience a general numbness. It is difficult to live a full life if we haven’t grieved our losses.

Adapted from an interview with Miriam Greenspan by Barbara Platek.

Learn more about TRU Community Care Grief Services.

Filed Under: Grief Tagged With: Grief

TRU Grief News: Guilt or Regret

March 31, 2017 by TRU Community Care

Image Credit: Dirk Sebregts

Guilt can be a very powerful and isolating emotion, causing family and friends to withdraw from you for fear of saying the wrong thing. If you are feeling guilty about something, even if there is no basis for your guilt, you may be inclined to keep it to yourself, never verbalizing what you are thinking.

The possibilities for feeling guilty or regretful are infinite. Regret often gets confused with guilt, which makes dealing with it difficult. It may help to clarify in your own mind which it is you are experiencing.

Regrets are the things you wish you had done or said before your loved one died. Guilt, on the other hand, is what you feel when you believe you have done something wrong.

If you can’t seem to resolve your guilt feelings or regrets on your own, you might ask a trusted friend or relative to help you talk them out. Or, if you’d rather not share in this way, you may want to find a counselor or religious advisor who can help you.

Be assured that you can get relief from these powerful feelings and even experience emotional growth.

Adapted from The Mourning Handbook by Helen Fitzgerald

Learn more about TRU Community Care Grief Services.

Filed Under: Grief Tagged With: Grief

TRU Grief News: A Journey of Growth and Courage

March 24, 2017 by TRU Community Care

Image Credit: Mark Harpur via Unsplash

As your grief process unfolds, you may learn things about yourself that you never knew before.

Know that it is okay to be angry. You are entitled to your anger and it is important to find ways to deal with it constructively.

You may choose to expend it physically by walking, running, or exercising. You may, instead, cry it out, talk it out, write about it, meditate, or pray.
In this journey of growth and courage, fear too needs to be recognized and acknowledged.

As you confront your fears, you may discover hidden strengths and resources within yourself.

Guilt is a difficult emotion. By giving guilt its full expression, you may come to understand its meaning and its place.

Learn more about TRU Community Care Grief Services.

Filed Under: Grief Tagged With: Grief

TRU Grief News: Anger, Fear, and Guilt

March 15, 2017 by TRU Community Care

Image Credit: Eutah Mizushima via Unsplash

While the majority of people naturally associate sadness or depression with grief, other very common emotions evoked by the grief response are anger, fear, and guilt.

Anger, a very potent emotion, is always present during the time of grief but may not always be recognized. Anger can take on many forms and present itself in a variety of ways, from irritability to fist-pounding rage. It’s not uncommon for the bereaved to deny their anger or, for that matter, to be completely unaware of it.

In times of deep sorrow and grief, fear is an emotion not often discussed. Fear may manifest itself as mild anxiety or sheer terror. A spouse may feel fear about being alone or lonely. A parent may fear that she’ll never recover from the death of a child, or a child may fear the loss of the other parent, too.

Guilt, like anger and fear, is neither good nor bad. It simply is. Guilt can’t be stuffed down without future consequences. It needs to be acknowledged and experienced.

While feelings of anger, fear, and guilt are often difficult to deal with, it is only by allowing these feelings, in all their dimensions, that freedom to heal and be whole again finally arrives.

Learn more about TRU Community Care Grief Services

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Filed Under: Grief Tagged With: Grief

Holiday Grief – You’re Not Alone

December 16, 2016 by TRU Community Care

lonely girlDo the holidays make you feel uneasy? They are fast approaching. If you’re dreading them due to the loss of someone you love, know that your feelings are normal and you are not alone. Read on for tips on how to get through these days.

Be Open to New Traditions
For some, continuing traditions without their loved one there may be an important way to continue sharing their memory. For others, it may be more comforting to develop new rituals to help lessen the pain and immediacy of the loss.

Accept the Sadness
Let yourself feel your feelings. By allowing yourself to experience the sadness, it will pass more quickly than if you ignore it, hoping it will go away.

Remember Your Loved One
Light a candle, tell a funny story, create ornaments using photos, and talk about your special someone to keep the memories alive.

Reduce Your Stress
Take the time to prioritize what should be done, such as holiday baking, shopping for gifts, and decorating. Don’t try to do everything at once, and don’t overextend yourself or the commitments you make to others. Trust yourself first and foremost.

Practice Extreme Self-Care
Be gentle with yourself. You’ll feel so much better when you listen to your body and nurture it with the things it needs. Be just as kind to yourself as you were to your loved one.

Discover Small Joys
Gratitude makes for a happy heart. Take delight in the little things. Whether it’s the laughter of children or a hot mug of coffee, look for the good in each day.

Get more information on TRU Community Care’s grief services by calling 303.604.5300 or visit our Grief Services page.

Filed Under: Grief, Children, Adult Tagged With: Grief, grief services, holiday grief

TRU Grief Services Invites Community to Lights of Life Holiday Remembrance

October 27, 2016 by TRU Community Care

This holiday season, TRU Community Care invites you to remember someone who has been special in your life by attending our Lights of Life Holiday Remembrance Event on Saturday, December 3, 2016 at 5:00 p.m.

Lights of Life TRU Community Care

Join TRU Community Care’s Grief Services department for a holiday remembrance ceremony on Dec. 8.

Our indoor event will feature a reading of names, music, and a luminaria ritual, along with light refreshments. You will have a chance to connect with others who are in similar situations and feel more supported going into the holidays.

Guests are invited to bring a photo or memento to place on our memory table. If you choose, you may also bring a story, poem, or reading to share during a designated time in the service. You may also come and just sit quietly.

Directions

2593 Park Lane, Lafayette, CO

TRU Community Care’s Grief Services office is located on the corner of Forest Park Circle and Park Lane in Lafayette, near the intersection of 95th and Arapahoe. The building is cream stucco with stone and has signs out front indicating that both TRU Grief Services and TRU Pace are housed in the building.

From the West
On Arapahoe going East, you’ll cross over 95th Street and take your first right on Forest Park Circle. Our building will be the second building on the left.

From the East
Going West on Arapahoe, you’ll cross over HWY 287 and drive about 1.3 miles. You’ll take a left onto Forest Park Circle and the office is will be the second building on the left.

directions to TRU GRIEF Services and TRU PACE

Filed Under: Events, Grief, Holidays, Lights of Life, Community Tagged With: grief services, events, Grief

New Lafayette Grief Group

June 10, 2016 by TRU Community Care

Donate to TRU Community Care in Boulder, COWe are excited to offer a new grief group that will be right here in Lafayette. The grief journey is a difficult and heavy load to bear, but is made a little lighter through a supportive network. If you have experienced the death of someone significant in your life, we invite you to join us on the 4th Tuesday of each month as we process our grief, share our experiences, and work to alleviate the feeling of isolation.

For more information on this group, please contact us at (303) 604- 5213.

If you would like to register for this group or would like information on other adult grief groups, please click here.

Download and share the flyer: Lafayette Grief Support Group Flyer

 

Filed Under: Grief, Community, Adult, Grief Groups

Father’s Day Butterfly Memorial is set for June

May 10, 2016 by TRU Community Care

yes.monarch.ID-100168437Remember the fathers, stepfathers, uncles, grandfather and other special men in your life at our annual Father’s Day Butterfly Memorial on June 19.

Both kids and adults are invited to come create mini butterfly gardens to attract your own butterflies at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster. Art and gardening supplies will be provided.

The event will start at 11:30 a.m. as attendees plant mini gardens filled with flowers and plants that attract butterflies. At noon, there will be a short ceremony and those who wish to share a memory may do so at that time and leave a love note at the memory table. There will be cake and juice to follow.

The butterfly release will be 12:30 pm in the rainforest wing. The Butterfly Pavilion is offering discounted admission of $5 per person for this segment of the program. Pre-registration is required.

If you go …
What: TRU Community Care’s Father’s Day Memorial and Butterfly Release
Where: The Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 W 104th Westminster, CO 80020
When: June 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
How much: $5 admission to Butterfly Pavilion
More info: RSVPs are required to Michon by calling 303-604-5330

Filed Under: Grief, Holidays, Community, Events, Children, Adult, Father's Day Tagged With: westminster, hospice, butterfly release, memorial

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About TRU

TRU Community Care (TRU) affirms life at every step of your journey with illness and loss. Our vision is to lead a healthcare transformation by engaging with our communities and offering innovative, meaningful care for those living with illness and loss.

Founded as Boulder Hospice in 1976, TRU is a Colorado-licensed, Medicare and Medicaid-certified, nonprofit health care organization serving Boulder, Broomfield, Adams, Jefferson, Arapahoe, Denver, and Weld Counties and beyond. With a focus on providing a continuum of care for members of our community living with advanced illness and loss, TRU’s programs include TRU Hospice, TRU PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), TRU Palliative Care, Landmark Memory Care, and TRU Grief Services.

TRU Hospice is proudly accredited by The Joint Commission and is a five-star-level hospice in NHPCO's We Honor Veterans program created in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). TRU is a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE), and the National PACE Association (NPA).

Our Services

TRU Grief Services
& Administrative Offices
2594 Trailridge Drive East
Lafayette, CO 80026

TRU Hospice Care Center
1950 Mountain View Avenue
4th Floor South
Longmont, CO 80501

TRU Thrift Shop
5565 Arapahoe Avenue
Boulder, CO 80303

TRU PACE Program
2593 Park Lane
Lafayette, CO 80026

TRU Denver Office
1415 Park Avenue West
Denver, CO 80205

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