Compassion, Support and Healing for Children

By Kristin Glasure, FAIRHOPE president and CEO

At FAIRHOPE Hospice, we recognize the distinctive needs of children and families facing the profound journey of grief. Our Peace – Acceptance – Love – Support (PALS) Child, Teen and Family Grief Support program delivers compassionate and comprehensive care tailored to the emotional needs of patients and their loved ones. Understanding that grief can begin long before a loss occurs, we offer anticipatory grief support to help children and families navigate this challenging time.

Anticipatory grief involves a sense of loss and change before a loved one’s death. Our objectives during this phase include helping children and loved ones say goodbye, offering guidance in explaining to children that a loved one is dying, and creating meaningful items for funerals and memorial services. Children often take their lead from the adults around them about how to handle death. They will process what they can at their age and feel different parts of their grief as they grow and change developmentally. We prepare children for these services, remind families of their enduring bond, and collaborate with school personnel to ensure secondary support as the child resumes their daily routines following this loss.

Our bereavement support aims to help children share their thoughts and feelings about death, and normalize their feelings of sadness, anger, confusion, or guilt that comes in waves as they learn to cope. Loss changes children’s lives as well as their families. Children need to be reassured that they are safe and will be cared for, despite the recent drastic changes. Our services teach children ways to express their grief and assist them in preserving positive memories while learning to release negative ones.

To inquire about PALS or individual grief services at FAIRHOPE, visit our website or call 740-304-0869.

FAIRHOPE HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE ANNOUNCES GRAND OPENING OF ADVANCED ILLNESS MANAGEMENT (AIM) CLINIC

FAIRHOPE Hospice & Palliative Care celebrated the grand opening of their Advanced Illness Management (AIM) Clinic through a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 23, hosted by the Lancaster-Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce alongside community leaders.

The AIM clinic, located at 1319 E. Main St., is designed to meet the growing needs of the community by providing a convenient setting where patients can receive care from nurse practitioners for routine visits and urgent, non-emergency care. Physician support will also be available to help patients better manage symptoms and stress associated with their conditions, ultimately aiming to reduce frequent hospitalizations. The AIM clinic shares the same building as Dr. Sean Jerig’s Obstetrics and Gynecology practice, with each maintaining their respective offices on designated sides of the facility.

Kristin Glasure, President and CEO of FAIRHOPE Hospice and Palliative Care, shared her thoughts on this expansion: “The opening of the AIM Clinic is an exciting next step in our ongoing commitment to providing compassionate care for our community. By offering more specialized services in a dedicated setting, we’re ensuring that patients with advanced illnesses receive the best possible care while staying close to home. Our goal is to support patients in managing their conditions and improving their quality of life.”

The ribbon-cutting event featured remarks from local leaders, including Travis Markwood, President of the Lancaster-Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, Kristin Glasure, and Seth White, Vice President of FAIRHOPE. Community members also showed their support in attendance, receiving tours of the AIM Clinic and enjoying refreshments throughout the ceremony.