A Holiday Grief Seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15, from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m., at the Regional Medical Center Annex Classroom (building next to Same Day Surgery).

Coordinated by the Regional Medical Center’s Pastoral Care Department, this free, educational program is an opportunity to help those who have lost a loved one prepare for experiencing the holidays while working through grief.

"In our past grief workshops, we talked about the holiday blues and the reality that holidays are a mixture of many things and many emotions," said the Rev. Paul Hamilton, RMC chaplain and director of Pastoral Care.

"Everybody has had some kind of loss in their life. It may be in the past, but holidays bring up a lot of old memories. And if things aren't going well at this point in your life, you're still dealing with depression. It's worse during the holidays. The suicide rate and these kinds of things really go up during the holidays. And part of that is people begin to feel very alone, and the holidays are a time to be together," Hamilton said.

Hamilton said planning ahead for the holidays is crucial when dealing with grief. "It will hit. Some people try to ignore it and say, ‘Well, I'll pretend it didn't happen and then everything's ok,' and end up thinking about it all day. I've had people go to the grave site and leave a flower on Christmas or Christmas Eve to remember a person. Some will light a candle in memory of that person, or set a plate at the table for that person, and leave the chair empty. I think setting up a memorial is important," Hamilton said.

According to Hamilton, a journal can help. "Writing is extremely important. I tell people to write their feelings without worrying about spelling and grammar; no one else needs to read it. My suggestion is to keep it private. We need people who can listen to us and not try to give answers to everything," Hamilton said.

For more information or to register for this free program, contact the RMC Pastoral Care Department at 803-395-2356 (or toll free in South Carolina: 800-476-3377, ext. 2356).

_________________________________________________________

About the Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg & Calhoun Counties

The Regional Medical Center, in Orangeburg, S.C., is a 286-bed acute-care facility and Level III trauma center employing more than 1,200 healthcare professionals. Serving Orangeburg and Calhoun counties and surrounding areas, RMC is accredited by The Joint Commission and offers a 24-hour emergency department and a full-range of high-quality medical services such as same day surgery, orthopaedics, obstetrics, cardiology and the latest in diagnostic imaging. RMC received the prestigious Thomson Reuters Healthcare Advantage Award in 2010 for clinical advancements in quality patient care.