Children need special care and grief support when facing the challenges of a serious illness or processing the loss of a loved one. These situations have a profound impact on the child’s entire family. The goal of Kids Path is to enhance the quality of life for these children and their families by helping them manage and adjust while regaining a sense of normalcy.
Kids Path is a consortium of hospice service providers in three states who offer services to children and families who face serious illnesses or the loss of a loved one. The Kids Path interdisciplinary team joins with other medical and psychosocial professionals to provide families with the care they need.
It offers:
- Nursing services
- Counseling
- Spiritual support
- Grief support
- In-home support services
- Supportive care
- Health maintenance
- Hospice care
- Camp Kids Path
- In-School education/support
- Individual support
Camp Kids Path
Camp Kids Path is a no-cost experience for children and teens (ages 5-18) who have suffered a loss or are expecting a loss in the near future. Through the use of art, music and recreational activities, children come together in a therapeutic environment to learn that mourning is not a process of forgetting but a way of remembering with less pain.
Camp is planned with the developmental needs of children in mind. Activities are led by the professional bereavement staff from Mountain Valley Hospice and specially trained volunteers. Using their expert knowledge in grief and loss, these individuals provide support for children while they are learning to appropriately express their emotions and cope with their feelings in healthy ways. Please bring a photo of your loved one to camp.
Because the bereavement staff understands the importance of parents and guardians knowing what was learned at camp, as well as the importance of remembering a loved one, a memorial service will be held at the end of camp. During the memorial service, the children will have an opportunity to share arts, crafts, skills, poems, and a song.