Posts Tagged ‘Grief/Bereavement’
Why Funerals Matter: A Personal Story
I am writing this post from the Oklahoma Panhandle, after a very long drive from my home in Kansas City. Our family is gathering to celebrate the life of my grandmother, who died early Sunday morning. We last made this trip just a few short months ago, following the death of my grandfather – her…
Read MoreYou Can’t Cheat Death
As the old saying goes, only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. Today is Tax Day in the U.S., so, well, there you go. As for death, though, one North Carolina hospital is telling its potential customers that they can “cheat death.” Besides the inevitable billboards and flyers that go along with…
Read MoreSong Spotlight: “Blue Christmas”
Sometimes the holidays are hard. As much as we’d all love to live up to the pictures and stories we see on the holiday cards, jewelry store ads, and made-for-TV movies, that just really doesn’t happen to most of us, and definitely not every year. Sometimes all the lights and decorations and red and green…
Read MoreHow To Care For People Who Are Grieving During The Holidays
I have several ideas in mind for holiday-oriented posts over the next few weeks, but in pondering which to start with, I decided to go for the least cheery but (I think) most important. How do we care for people who are not ready to celebrate? The holidays are hard for a lot of people.…
Read MoreSong Spotlight: “Smile”
Mood: Melancholy, Warm Theme: Smiles, Looking to the Future, Dealing with Difficulties Tempo: Moderate Genre: Ballad First, a few statistics. According to the CDC, approximately 20% of people age 55 and older experience some type of mental health concern. Depression is the most common mental health problem among older adults. Depression causes emotional distress, of…
Read MoreSong Spotlight: “Danny Boy”
Mood: Sentimental, Wistful Themes: Ireland, Saying Goodbye, Missing a Loved One, Death Tempo: Slow to moderate Genre/style: Ballad “Danny Boy” is one of those songs that is at once ubiquitous and mysterious. I’ve been singing this song a lot in the last week for music therapy sessions leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, and two clients reacted in ways…
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