The Kowalski Funeral Home understands that for a family who has lost someone they love, the most difficult time is actually after the funeral is over. Feelings of depression, guilt and extreme sadness, to name a few, can overcome the ability to just get out of bed in the morning. Our daily routines don't exit anymore because our lives have been changed and altered forever. After a death has occurred, it's important to forge a new path, a new meaning to continue living our lives.

The goal of the Kowalski Funeral Home is to assist the families we serve, in finding that new path, by aiding them in our program of grief and aftercare services that covers the first year after a death of their loved one.

In addition, some people feel that they would like to explore other venues in conjunction with our program, so we offer the various resources listed below.

Local Services

Center for Hope Hospice & Palliative Care
www.centerforhope.com

Acadia House (Bereavement & Grief Counseling Center)
175 Glenside Avenue, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
908-654-3711

• Continuous bereavement counseling for the loss of a child
  
• Bereavement sessions covering a 6-8 week period for the loss of a spouse or parent
  
• General bereavement sessions scheduled according to need
  
• Individual counseling available to the community
  

Camp Starbright bereavement camp for children

Healing the Grieving Heart
First Presbyterian Church
Cranford, NJ

A year round continuous support group

For information/registration contact

Patti Williams, RN
Pastoral Bereavement Counselor
908-709-1341

Virginia Waters, PhD.
Psychologist
908-276-2226

Web Resources
For Grief, Death and Loss
For Aging, Dying and Caregiving

The Care Community
www.thecarecommunity.com

This site comprises two parts. First there is "The Safe Place for Grief" and then there is "A Safe Place for Eldercare". There are weekly fresh blogs, as well as a forum page where families can communicate with others facing the same types of grieving experiences. The blogs will cover an array of topics on aging and death, from discussing what kind of care a loved one will receive or where the care will be given, to preparing for the care, choosing a facility, facing guilt, end of life discussions and even a whole category on planning a funeral. Also this site is aimed at the vast number of people who are caring for elderly loved ones and doing so without much help or guidance. Many of the challenges in providing eldercare happen after one mate dies and suddenly the family is faced with the care of someone now alone and in grief.

Living with Loss
www.livingwithloss.com

This site features articles, poems and resources for the bereaved by grief educators and presenters, bereavement facilitators, caregivers, authors and writers, and most important, the bereaved themselves. Their mission is to offer compassion and hope with the most current resources, tools and perspectives in the bereavement field. The bereaved are invited to consider alternative and innovative ways to cope with the diverse issues and concerns that make their grief journey unique.

Center for Loss & Life Transition
www.centerforloss.com

A private organization dedicated to furthering the understanding and compassion for the complex set of emotions called grief. This organization is dedicated to helping both the bereaved and the bereavement caregivers, via an educational liaison and professional forum.

Crisis, Grief and Healing
www.webhealing.com

This is a site where everyone can discuss, chat or browse in order to understand the different paths to healing strong emotions. You will also find excerpts from Tom Golden's books on healing from loss.

GriefNet
www.rivendell.org

This is an internet site composed of people dealing with grief, death and major losses. There are email support groups of all kinds. This approach to online grief support provides a resource for people working through their issues of loss and grief.

Willowgreen
www.willowgreen.com

This is a leading provider of information and inspiration in the areas of illness, dying, loss and grief, as well as healthy caregiving, life transitions and spirituality.

Grief and Loss

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
www.aarp.org/griefandloss/

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is a resource for all aspects of life for those over 50 years of age, including grief support information.

Growth House
www.growthhouse.org

This is an international avenue to resources for life-threatening illnesses and the end of life issues. There are links for various topics to sites around the world, including hospice and home care, bereavement, death with dignity and AIDS, to name a few.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
www.nhpco.org

Hospice is committed to improving end of life care and enhancing the quality of life for people dying in their own homes or hospice facilities, as well as for their families.

American Heart Association
http://honor.americanheart.org
or call 1-800-242-8721

This is the American Heart Association's Online Memorials and Tributes Program which allows you to set up a special Web page where your loved one can be honored by family and friends who want to pay homage to this special individual. A Memorial Web Page is a beautiful way to remember someone who has died. You can post photos of the person you are honoring, create an album or write some inspiring words. You may email others, inviting them to visit the page and even share their memories.

Association for Death Education and Counseling
www.adec.org

This is a professional organization dedicated to promoting excellence and recognizing diversity in death education, care of the dying, grief counseling and research in thanatology. Based on quality research and theory, the association provides information, support and resources to its international, multicultural, multidisciplinary membership and through it, to the public.

Genesis Bereavement Resources
www.genesis-resources.com

John Kennedy Saynor, a licensed funeral director is an ordained Anglican priest and coordinator of the Genesis Bereavement Resource Centers. This site aids in the bereavement process for those who have lost a loved one, funeral directors and health care professionals.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Other Infant Death (OID)
www.sids-network.org

This site deals with a multitude of information regarding SIDS and OID.

Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
www.save.org

If you or someone you know has lost a loved one to suicide, the feelings can be overwhelming and unmanageable. There is no one way to best handle the tragedy of suicide, but there are tools available to you that might make the process a bit easier.

Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement
www.aplb.org

This organization is exceptional in many ways. It is a compassionate nonprofit organization of trained volunteers, dedicated to helping people during a very special kind of bereavement. They are also a worldwide clearing house for all information on pet bereavement. As a result, they are the acclaimed leader and authority in the field of pet loss and bereavement.