Remembering loved ones

Bereavement program will host second annual Adult Fall Remembrance Ceremony Dec. 6

The UF Health Palliative Care team will host the second annual Adult Fall Remembrance Ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. at the UF Baughman Center. This evening of remembrance will help provide support for those in the Gainesville community who have lost a loved one.

Cathy Silloway, LCSW, ACHP-SW, a UF Health Shands Patient and Family Resources palliative care social worker, has a special passion for helping people cope with their loss and honor loved ones.

“People can bring a picture of their loved one if they want,” Silloway said. “Sometimes that’s a way to start more conversation about their loved one if they don’t know how else to do it.”

The nondenominational ceremony will last around 45 minutes with refreshments and comments by several speakers. The event is free and open to the public.

“There will be a lot of reassurance and a lot of listening,” Silloway said. “People want to know if the grief that they are experiencing is normal and we can give them that support.”

Anne Meiring, LCSW, CPXP, a UF Health Sebastian Ferrero Office of Clinical Quality and Patient Safety Patient Experience quality improvement specialist, UF Health Language Access improvement specialist and UF Health Advance Directives co-facilitator, attended last year’s remembrance ceremony as a participant.

“I had recently lost a loved one, and I brought along a friend who had lost a loved one, too,” she said. “It was such a respectful, warm, genuine, caring and compassionate evening. I left thinking we have a great community.”

Another attendee last year was Donna Cottle, LifeQuest donor family services coordinator. She notes that families are encouraged by the unity and support they receive from each other.

“They are grieving and sometimes they feel alone, and we don’t want them to feel alone,” Cottle said. “You can see it on their faces — they are empowered.”

For more information about the event, please email Cathy Silloway at adultbereavement@shands.ufl.edu.