The loss of a loved one is hard to reconcile with and often harder to discuss with family.
A unique initiative by aged care and dementia provider HammondCare’s Northern Beaches Palliative Care Service staff is seeking to overcome that burden bereaved people carry inside with the Bereavement Walks Group.
The walk happens fortnightly where a group of people who have lost someone close to them come together with a HammondCare Bereavement Counsellor, to walk and talk around Narrabean Lagoon or the path from Fisherman’s Beach to Long Reef Headland lookout on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
It’s been such a success that the trial will be expanded to new walking groups for the Lower and Upper North Shore at the end of the month.
“We know that physical activity improves mood and it creates a positive focus during a challenging time,” HammondCare Bereavement Counsellor Susan Brooks said.
“It’s a safe place where people can share their feelings while connecting with nature.”
She added that many regularly visit cafes outside of the group after meeting on the walk to continue their conversations.
The eligibility criteria for involvement in the Northern Beaches group was the loss of a partner, child or parent following palliative care either at a HammondCare Hospital or HammondCare Community Service or at a Northern Sydney Health District Hospital.
