Better Safe Than Sorry
My Mom’s words come out of my mouth. Not intentionally, they just do. They are buried deep in my brain, and just comes out sometimes. Her sayings like, “Better safe than sorry.” I said it today.
I was contemplating a trip to the nursery. Do I really need to go there? How will I feel if I bring back that nasty virus to my husband? So, I came back inside instead of heading out. “Better to be safe than sorry” seems like the right choice now. Precautionary measures against the Coronavirus makes sense, and are the norm for us all for a while.
This new reality is testing our ability to accept change and cope, that’s for sure. Businesses and their employees around the globe are learning new ways to work during this pandemic. Not for profit organizations are learning to provide services remotely.
Heartlinks Grief Center has developed a model for adherence to the “stay at home” directive while still being able to assist clients on their grief journey. Heartlinks is meeting virtually with colleagues across the nation who do grief programs for kids and families, working on best practices in providing grief support virtually.
With the staff all working from home, they are providing individual phone and virtual counseling and taking information on new clients via phone. Virtual group sessions are being developed and launched.
Heartlinks has been assisting the St. Clair County Mental Health Board with setting up a support line staffed by regional mental health volunteers, specifically for health care workers and first responders.
In addition to helping support needs in the current crisis, they are also preparing for life after this pandemic, expecting that grief and trauma needs will be increased when we are past the current crisis. They are participating with regional and national planning committees to get ready for future needs. A suicide prevention conference is being planned for September.
Diana Cuddeback, Heartlinks Director is enthusiastic about what they’ve been learning. “We have been expanding our knowledge of working virtually and we feel that new methods of service have been opened up. Virtual services won't replace in-person services but they do give us another way to reach people who live at a distance or have transportation issues. Heartlinks will never be the same but that is an exciting thing.”
Perhaps a positive of this crisis will be that businesses and their employees will continue voluntarily some of the remote and virtual practices that we are honing out of necessity now. Some of these new ways to interact may help to slow down our pace a bit and stretch Heartlinks resources after we resume services post-pandemic. Perhaps that will be a constructive outcome to our “Better safe than sorry” time at hand.
Heartlinks Grief Center provides grief support to all ages, regardless of ability to pay. If you are grieving or know someone who could use assistance on their grief journey, please contact Heartlinks Grief Center at 618-277-1800 or email support@myheartlinks.com.
Profits from the sale of We Lost Her and Heartbroken are donated to help support Heartlinks Grief Center.
Be blessed,
Ellen
Ellen Krohne
We Lost Her, available at this link on Amazon.com
Heartbroken, available at this link on Amazon.com
Heartlinks Grief Center volunteer and Family Hospice board member
“We Grow Stronger Together”