LEWISTON — Individuals interested in making a lasting difference in the lives of others are encouraged to join Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice to become bereavement volunteers for grieving loved ones. A 15-hour training class is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 12, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. The class will be held on Monday and Thursdays at the Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice’s Lewiston Office on 15 Strawberry Ave.

“It is a sad fact that many who suffer the death of a loved one don’t want to burden others with their feelings of grief,” said Jim Douglas, Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice Community Grief Specialist. “Bereavement Volunteers and grief groups make it possible for grieving family and friends of our hospice patients to comfortably share their feelings with trained volunteers who understand their needs.”

The training course prepares volunteers to provide grief support, including one-to-one visits and telephone support, for loved ones and family members in the year following the death of a hospice patient.

The training will be facilitated by Dennis Sicotte, Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice bereavement coordinator. The course curriculum is comprehensive in scope, exploring grief through group discussions, readings and individual and group activities. Training topics include hospice philosophy, understanding the issues surrounding grief, recognizing normal and complicated grief, listening skills and companioning.

For those who are already bereavement volunteers or just completed the training and would like to become Grief Group facilitators, a 12-hour training begins March 26. The training will be held on Monday and Thursday afternoons at 15 Strawberry Ave. Grief group facilitators help create a safe environment while offering grief support and education in a small group setting.

For more information or to register for either one or both trainings, contact 795-9480 or 1-800-482-7412, ext. 1280.