Houston Hospice Hosts Bereaved at Annual Trees of Light Evening of Remembrance
Houston Hospice Hosts Bereaved at Annual Trees of Light
Evening of Remembrance
HOUSTON (Nov. 28, 2023) – Houston Hospice invites the families and loved ones who experienced a loss in the past year to its annual Trees of Light remembrance event on November 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the historic gardens of its Texas Medical Center inpatient unit located at 1905 Holcombe Blvd.
Grief and bereavement are an important part of navigating the end-of-life journey for patients, families, and loved ones – especially during the holiday season. The Houston Hospice bereavement program offers individual counseling, group therapy sessions, and literature for families and loved ones for 13 months past the time of death.
“Loss is a universal human experience,” said Tammy Zwahr, LPC, a bereavement counselor at Houston Hospice. “When bereaved are together, they feel supported and less alone.”
Approximately 1,800 bereaved from September 2022 through September 2023 are invited to this community remembrance event. They can:
• Remember and honor loved ones by lighting a candle or pausing for a moment of reflection in the Virginia Harris Cockrell Chapel
• Connect with other bereaved
• Speak with our bereavement staff or avail themselves of free literature
“Our bereavement team is a lifeline offering support to families and loved ones as they navigate life after the death of someone dear to them,” said Rana McClelland, president and CEO of Houston Hospice. “As a community-based, nonprofit hospice, our goal is to provide holistic care for patients and families, and this includes bereavement services, which are fully funded by the generosity of our donors.”
The Offices of Harris County Commissioners Rodney Ellis of Precinct One and Lesley Briones of Precinct Four will present Houston Hospice with a proclamation declaring November 2023 as Houston Hospice Month.
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and the theme is “Courageous Conversations.” The month is dedicated to raising awareness about the benefits of interdisciplinary and supportive hospice care, dispelling misconceptions, and educating patients who have a terminal diagnosis and their families when it comes to their end-of-life journey.
The historic gardens of the Oscar Fitzallen Holcombe estate will be lit with thousands of twinkling lights throughout the holiday season for the community to enjoy. Attendees also will enjoy refreshments donated by Culinary Institute Lenotre and live music from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music students.
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About Houston Hospice
Founded in 1980, Houston Hospice is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality, end-of-life care to patients and their families throughout 13 counties in Southeast Texas. We offer an interdisciplinary team-led approach that includes physicians, nurses, chaplains, social workers, hospice aides, bereavement counselors and volunteers. We provide the appropriate level of comfort care in a setting the patient calls home or in our freestanding inpatient unit. Our holistic view of hospice care is enhanced by the extensive knowledge and expertise of our staff, specialized educational opportunities and community outreach efforts. Houston Hospice is a member of the Texas Medical Center. For more information, visit: houstonhospice.org.