Grief Support

So, what is Aftercare? It is our mission to provide emotional and educational support to bereaved families; especially after the funeral. What we like to call “Service Beyond the Service.”

We are committed to the service of the family from the first call, through the arrangements, at the visitation, and through the funeral and committal services. Our service does not stop with the funeral service. Our goal extends to helping families and their loved ones work through the grieving process for as long as they need our guidance. Grief is the natural response to the death of someone you love, or the loss of something important to you. Grief is a personal experience. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to grieve. There is no appropriate “time frame for grief”. At times, grieving is hard work.

How can we help? Our Aftercare Coordinator; a Register Nurse, is available to speak to our families on a one to one basis when needed. It might be as simple as a few words over the phone, a personal note, a trip out to lunch, or perhaps even a home visit for a cup of tea and much appreciated conversation. She can assist with referrals to clergy, community support groups and web resources as needed. The program is designed with flexibility, based on the need of the individual.

Monthly Bereavement Educational Groups
Facilitated by the Aftercare Coordinator, these group sessions feature guest speakers each month from The Center for Hope in Darien. Participation is open to the public and refreshments are served. These groups meet on the first Tuesday of each month at:  

First Church Congregational
148 Beach Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
“The Eliot Room”
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. 

Grief Resource Library
A variety of topics on grief and grieving are available in our main office and may be borrowed by families requesting to do so. 

Annual Interfaith Remembrance Service
This touching candlelight prayer service honors and remembers all of the family members served by the Spear-Miller Funeral Home through the year. This service provides our families and opportunity to gather and remember their loved ones. 

If you are grieving the death of a loved one, we know this is a difficult time, and that you are hurting. We encourage you to embrace your feelings of grief, and to begin your grief process with a solid foundation of information and awareness. We hope that our Aftercare Program will be fundamentally helpful in assisting you on that journey.