Bereavement Support
The Torrance Memorial Bereavement Program provides a wide range of bereavement services for the loved ones of Torrance Memorial Hospice patients who have passed.
Our bereavement services are available for 13 months after a death and the services include:
- In-person support group meetings
- Supportive telephone calls
- Individual counseling
- Mailings with educational information about grief and mourning, and coping skills, to help you deal with the stress of mourning
- Referrals and information about community resources
- Light Up a Life yearly tree lighting ceremony service
Bereavement Support Group
The bereavement support groups are offered to the loved ones of Torrance Memorial Hospice patients and all community members, regardless of whether the deceased received care from Torrance Memorial Hospice Agency. Support groups afford people the opportunity to meet in a caring and safe environment with other people experiencing grief and loss. Groups provide education on the grief experience following the death of a loved one. Facilitated by our Hospice staff, we cover common grief reactions, coping strategies and self-care throughout the grief process. We offer the following groups:
- Loss of spouse-partner
- Loss of parent
- General grief group (supports all losses)
Groups can have up to 12 members and run for six weeks. Each group meets once a week for one-and-a-half hours. The groups are free, and registration is required. The groups are facilitated by chaplains, social workers, and trained volunteers.
To participate or for more information, please fill out the Bereavement Support Group Interest form below or contact Oliva Licea, MSW, Bereavement Coordinator, at 310-703-3352 from Monday through Friday 8am to 4:30pm.
Coping with Grief
Grief is a natural, emotional response following the death of someone we love. Generally, the more significant the loss, the greater our sorrow can be. There is no right way to mourn the death of a loved one. Each person grieves differently.
Common Grief Reactions
- Numbness and shock often follow news that a loved one has died. These feelings are normal. They help protect the bereaved person from feeling the full impact of loss.
- Some people experience a profound sadness in realizing the extent of one’s loss. Crying is a normal reaction to sadness.
- At times, anger occurs if one feels abandoned by the deceased person.
- Depression can involve a lack of energy or avoiding family and social activities. Some undergo sleep disturbances; others become forgetful or preoccupied with thoughts about the deceased. If depression persists over time, you may want to see a doctor as this is not normal grief.
- Sometimes, people regret things they did/did not do or think they could have done better. Others feel guilty believing they could have prevented the death, even though this is not the case.
- Feeling relieved the person died is normal, especially if the deceased suffered or was sick for a long time.
Healing
- Grief continues during whatever time is needed to adjust to the changes in life after the death. There is no ‘normal’ timeline for healing; the process is different for each person.
- Healing begins by first acknowledging one’s feelings of grief and taking time to mourn.
- Time itself helps the bereaved person to heal.
- Support from people who really care helps one heal.
Bereavement Resources
E-Newsletter Sign-up
Contact our Hospice team at 310-784-3751 to receive Someone Loved, Someone Remembered, a newsletter featuring articles on grief, reflection, remembrance, special events, volunteering, and information about community resources.
Admittedly, we live in a society that does not openly acknowledge the challenging adjustments to daily living when someone you love dies. Therefore, it is important for those who are grieving to seek out support systems that openly acknowledge and validate feelings of loss. These sessions are helpful in speaking with others who are further along in their grief – who can offer healing hope along with practical suggestions on ways they got through the initial months after the death of their loved one.
Torrance Memorial HealthLinks Resource Center
Torrance Memorial's health resource center offers products, literature and knowledgeable staff to help you mourn. Healthlinks is located on the first floor of Torrance Memorial Medical Center's West Tower.
Providence Bereavement Services
5315 Torrance Blvd., Suite B1
Torrance, CA 90503
Contact: 310-543-3437
New Hope Grief Support Community
3505 Long Beach Blvd., Suite 2C
Long Beach, CA 90807
Contact: 562-429-0075
support@newhopegrief.org
Our House Grief Support Center
1663 Sawtelle Blvd., Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Contact: 310-473-1511
Spanish speaking contact: ext. 220
COVID Grief Network
Undoing isolation for young adults grieving the illness or death of someone close to COVID-19
CovidGriefNetwork.org
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Are you in a crisis? Call 800-273-8255 or text TALK to 741741.
AFSP.org/ive-lost-someone
This list is provided for your information and convenience. Some of the agencies on this community resource list are not affiliated with Torrance Memorial Medical Center. Torrance Memorial Medical Center cannot recommend or endorse the quality of care of those agencies, it is important that you conduct your own research into their services.
