Welcome Home of Chattanooga is starting a new support group for those who have received a terminal diagnosis or are facing death soon. The group is open to the public and can be attended on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in-person at 3131 Quiet Creek Trail or via Zoom.
The program will create a safe space for people to talk about their feelings, hopes, and concerns in a safe and welcoming environment. The group will be facilitated by Welcome Home of Chattanooga’s Education Director, Judith Pedersen-Benn, who has experience working with hospice and leading support groups. She says the new program will be unique to the Chattanooga area.
“The idea to form a support group started because a woman, who is likely facing the end of her life, wanted to talk to someone about the process of death,” said Ms. Pedersen-Benn. “What we found is that there are a lot of support groups for people facing specific diseases like cancer, but none for people who are facing a terminal illness or end-of-life.”
The support program is an extension of Welcome Home’s education series, “Demystifying Death.” The goal of “Demystifying Death” is to provide the community an opportunity to learn and talk about death, dying, and grief to be more comfortable with a natural topic that has become taboo in society. The series includes monthly community events, an 8-week course in the Spring in partnership with UTC’s Center for Professional Education, and a conference in the fall. More information can be found at welcomehomeofchattanooga.org.
Those interested in attending the group should RSVP with Ms. Pedersen-Benn at judith@welcomehomeofchattanooga.org.