The importance and value of a memorial service for those in grief

The establishment of a Southern Hospice Association and a Palliative Care Unit and Service has led also to the conducting of annual memorial services in different Christian churches in Hobart. These services followed a traditional pattern incorporating hymns, prayers, bible readings and sermon.

Whilst some attending these memorials found them meaningful it was thought by staff that a wider need was not really being met. The decision to move to the Friends Meeting House, to incorporate reflective readings upon loss and grief, to invite participants to light candles rather than have them lit on their behalf and to join in afternoon tea, saw an increase in the number of those attending , and an increase in the number of memorial services held. For some this becomes a valuable step on their journey through grief.