Claire’s Journey with Hospice Malta Bereavement Support

When Claire* lost her dad, everything changed. The quiet routines they once shared, such as coffee in the morning and phone calls in the evening, suddenly vanished, leaving behind a strange, aching silence. Her dad, John, had been her rock. Steady, kind, with a calm way of making everything feel okay, even when it clearly wasn’t.

During the final months of his illness, Hospice Malta had stepped in. Claire remembered the gentle presence of the nurses and other Hospice staff, how they guided the family with quiet confidence, answering questions before she even knew what to ask. It made those final days more bearable. But after the funeral, when people went back to their lives, Claire was left wondering how she was meant to go on with hers.

“I honestly thought I’d be fine,” she said. “You’d think and expect the funeral to be the hardest part. But grief doesn’t follow a script. I was completely floored by the smallest things, such as a song on the radio or the smell of his aftershave. It felt like the ground had shifted, and I had no clue how to stand steady again.”

It was about a week after the funeral when she got a call from Maria, the Hospice nurse who had cared for John. Maria asked how the family was coping and gently mentioned that bereavement support was available through Hospice Malta. Claire didn’t know what that would look like, but she remembered Maria’s kindness and agreed to meet with someone. It turned out to be the first real step in her healing.

The social worker she met didn’t ask for polished thoughts or tidy emotions. “She just listened,” Claire recalled. “I didn’t need to be strong or make sense. I could cry, I could talk in circles, or just sit there, and that was okay. It felt like someone was holding space for my grief.”

Hospice Malta understands that grief is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Their bereavement support service is built around the idea that each person’s journey is unique. Some people, like Claire, benefit from a mix of one-to-one support and group sessions. Others might only need a single session to make sense of what they’re feeling. The pace, the frequency, and the format are all shaped around the person’s needs.

Claire eventually joined one of Hospice’s bereavement support groups, consisting of eight weekly sessions held in a calm, private space. At first, she wasn’t sure about opening up in front of strangers. “I nearly backed out before the first session,” she admitted. “But it turned out to be the best decision I made. No one tried to fix each other. We just shared our stories. And in doing that, we realised we weren’t as alone as we thought.”

The groups are led by social workers or psychologists who facilitate the groups, supporting the participants to process their grief at their own pace. The aim of the sessions is to create a space of trust and connection to support the participants in processing their grief in their space and also help them explore coping strategies. Participants share their experiences and emotions during the sessions. In some cases, friendships form that last long after the sessions end.

This year, for the first time, Hospice introduced a walk to mark the end of the group journey. Claire joined the others one cool spring afternoon. There were no speeches, no big expectations, just a chance to reflect, breathe, and walk beside people who had become part of her grieving journey. “It brought everything full circle,” she said. “We started the sessions as individuals, all grieving in our own way. But by the end, we’d built something together. That walk felt like a soft goodbye to the group, but also a step forward.”

Bereavement support is open to the families who have been under Hospice care during the illness, but also to those persons who were not registered with Hospice during the illness, provided the loss falls within Hospice criteria. Even friends or non-family members close to the deceased can access support. Because grief isn’t defined by bloodlines, it’s defined by love and connection.

In addition to individual and group support, Hospice Malta also organises a Memorial Mass every few weeks after a patient’s passing. Families are invited to attend the mass. As part of the mass, families are invited to light a candle and write their loved one’s name on a small wooden angel or heart, which is then blessed during the ceremony. “It was such a small thing,” Claire said, “but it meant the world. Just to hear his name spoken out loud in that space brought comfort I didn’t expect.”

And once a year, Hospice hosts a Remembrance event for all families who have lost a loved one during the previous twelve months. It’s a beautiful evening with readings, music, and a candlelight ceremony. It’s all about honouring the journey and the memory of those we’ve lost. “Grief changes you,” Claire reflected. “But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You carry the love with you. It becomes part of who you are.”

Claire is still grieving. That won’t stop. But she’s also living. And thanks to Hospice Malta, she’s doing so with a little more peace, a little more strength, and a deeper understanding of how grief and love are often two sides of the same coin.

Hospice Malta provides all of this support free of charge. But they can’t do it alone. It’s thanks to generous donations that people like Claire can find light in the darkness. If you’d like to support their work and help more families find comfort after loss, consider making a donation – click here. Every contribution, big or small, makes a real difference.

* Claire is a fictitious name to protect identity