Grief and Bereavement

Everyone in the U.S. (check the website for availability in your area)

2-1-1 is the telephone number of a call center that offers information and provides referrals to health and human services for everyday needs and in times of crisis. Examples of service referrals include:

• Basic human need resources: food banks, clothing, shelters, rent assistance and utility assistance
• Physical and mental health resources: medical information lines, crisis intervention services, counseling, drug, and alcohol intervention
• Employment support: unemployment benefits, financial assistance, job training, transportation assistance and education programs
• Support for older adults and persons with disabilities: home healthcare, adult daycare, congregate meals, Meals on Wheels, respite care, transportation, and homemaker services
• Support for children, youth, and families: childcare, family resource centers, summer camps and recreation programs, mentoring, tutoring and protective services
   

People affected by a cancer internationally; programs and services offered to patients and caregivers residing in the United States

In the U.S., ACS is a community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem.

• Provides educational materials both online and in print about cancer, including blood cancers, as well as related information on topics such as diet, exercise, complementary and alternative medicine, and disease statistics
• Offers support services via online discussion boards and in-person support groups through local chapters
• Cancer Survivors NetworkSM, a global online community, transcends geographic boundaries and builds bonds among cancer survivors and caregivers through shared experiences and feelings
• Road to Recovery, a program offered locally by some chapters, has volunteer drivers who transport patients to and from treatment appointments
• Hope Lodges are temporary housing accommodations for patients traveling far from home for treatment. There are more than 30 lodges.

Bereaved parents and their families in the U.S. who are struggling to survive their grief after the death of a child

To educate families about the grief process and all its complexities as it applies to the death of a child at any age and from any cause; to aid and support those who are suffering such a loss, regardless of race, creed or financial situation.

• Provides monthly meetings with sharing groups and occasional informative programs
• Provides a library at each meeting place where members may borrow books with up-to-date information about the grief process
• Supplies the telephone numbers of other bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents who are able to offer support to other more newly bereaved families
• Informs and educates members of the helping professions who interact with bereaved parents as to the nature and duration of parent/sibling/grandparent bereavement
• Publishes a national newsletter.

Individuals, families, caregivers and the bereaved in the U.S. affected by a cancer diagnosis

To provide free, professional support services to individuals, families, caregivers and the bereaved to help them cope with and manage the emotional and practical challenges of cancer. (English and Spanish)

• Professional resource navigators and oncology social workers are available to provide telephone resource navigation to people living with cancer, post treatment survivors, and caregivers affected by cancer.
• Offers short term counseling to residents of NY and NJ. 
• Offers online support groups, educational programs, and local community support programs.
• Healing Hearts Family Bereavement Camp - a free retreat for families with children coping with the loss of a loved one to cancer
• Financial assistance for transportation, home care, childcare, pet care (through PAW program), or medication/durable medical equipment may be available for patients in active treatment. Eligibility guidelines vary depending on diagnosis, gender, and geographic location. 
• Financial assistance for insured cancer patients in treatment in the US to help with co-payments for chemotherapy and targeted treatment medications who meet certain financial, medical and insurance eligibility criteria. Check the website for funding availability (http://cancercarecopay.org/) or call 866-552-6729 for details.

Families in the US whose child under the age of 18, or dependent mentally and physically handicapped adult child, has passed away

To provide financial assistance, advice and guidance to grieving families from all religions and backgrounds so they may provide an affordable and decent funeral for their loved child.

• Families may use online form to apply for assistance.

People who have suffered the loss of a loved one

To provide a content-rich, online forum with information and support so that people who experience loss can learn to cope with their pain, heal their grief, and invest in their future.

• Offers information, resources, book lists, community forums, radio and TV shows.

Families in the U.S. who have lost a child to any illness

To provide highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and help others better assist the grieving family.

• Offers in-person support groups via local chapters across the U.S.
• Offers live “chats” through an Online Support Community to encourage connecting and sharing among parents, grandparents, and siblings (over the age of 18) grieving the death of a child. The chat rooms supply support, encouragement, and friendship.
• Webinars, free of charge, on various bereavement issues.

Children, teens, young adults and their families worldwide

To provide support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults and their families grieving a death can share their experiences.

• Provides a variety of bereavement support groups in the Portland, Oregon area and referrals to support services in other areas of the U.S.
• Provides educational materials about children and grief
• Offers training to local and national agencies.

Conducting, operating, and maintaining support and educating the public about the unique requirements of men grieving the loss of a spouse/partner or other significant deaths including, but not limited to, the death of a child, parent, sibling. The vision of the National Widowers Organization is to make appropriate support available nationwide to all widowers that seek support. 

• Widower to Widower: peer support program.
• In-Person Local Widower Support Group finder tool.
• Helpful information and blogs.

Widowed mothers and fathers with children in the home, professionals

To support widowed mothers and fathers with children in the home.

• Hosted by the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the website offers information for parents and children about dealing with grief plus an online list of resources and supports.

Young adult cancer survivors diagnosed between ages 18 and 45, co-survivors and family members

YASU provides support for young adult cancer survivors and their co-survivors with virtual programming outreached on a national level, providing emotional, spiritual, and social support under professional guidance and with peers who understand and can relate.

• Offers virtual (national) and in-person (Pittsburgh) support programs to young adult cancer survivors and co-survivors
• Special groups for LGBTQ+, caregivers, and grief support for family members
• Offers additional financial assistance and respite trips for eligible members