Avow announces the Center for Grief and Bereavement, a newly dedicated space with expanded services to help adults navigate the deeply personal and often complex adjustment to life after the loss of a loved one.
Located in its Lyon Center on the Avow campus at 1223 Whippoorwill Lane, Naples, the Center for Grief and Bereavement optimizes space formerly occupied by the Avow Kids program, which moved into nearby Aunt Janet’s House earlier this year. While adult bereavement services have been offered on the campus since 1992 and by Avow since its founding in 1983, the refreshed and expanded Center provides dedicated spaces for private and group meetings as well as a black-light lit meditation space where participants privately or with others can write or draw their feelings in colorful markers on acrylic panels. The Center also houses the new Elizabeth Kubler-Ross Memorial Library, which contains books and memorabilia on end-of-life topics and other subjects from Dr. Kubler-Ross’s personal collection. The items are available for the community to use onsite.
“While adult bereavement has been a significant program at Avow since the beginning, we have not had sufficient space reflecting our commitment to the programs’ strength and breadth,” said Jaysen Roa, president and CEO of Avow companies. “With the opening of the Center, our counselors can now work in one area to meet individually or with family members and friends, and we can have more than one group meet at a time. In addition, we have the additional resources of the meditation space and library.”
Avow’s professional grief counselors support adults who have lost someone to death or other means. All sessions are open to residents and visitors in Southwest Florida without cost. A variety of groups are available for people who have suffered a similar loss or within a similar timeframe, such as:
- First year of bereavement
- More than one year since the loved one’s death
- Widow/widowers group
- Men’s group
- Adult children who have lost a parent
- Caregiver support group
- Grief at the holidays
About Avow
Avow is a community-focused, not-for-profit organization, serving its friends, families and neighbors living in Collier County, Fla. since 1983. Avow provides specialized end-of-life care to those living with a life-threatening illness and offers support to those who are caring for them. The Avow interdisciplinary care team provides medical care, spiritual and psychosocial support, pain management and complementary therapies. Avow cares for patients wherever they live. In addition, Avow has the only hospice house in Collier County (for in-patient acute care and respite). Avow also offers grief and bereavement support to the families and friends of patients as well as anyone in the community who has experienced a loss. Avow relies on community donations to help fund patient care and programs for the community. The phone number to call for any Avow service is 239-261-4404 or visit www.avowcares.org.
