The Shed - Bereavement

(Summary from Hospice News Today, 9/26/20).

Shed celebrates 5 year anniversary
Ogle County Life (Rochelle, IL), September 25, 2020

Oregon, IL—It was five years ago in August that Serenity Hospice and Home opened The Shed in Oregon. The idea was to give grieving people a chance to get together and work on projects. It is now an important part of the community. Cathy Warren, bereavement coordinator and manager of The Shed, recently sat down to answer some questions about its the past, present and future. ...

Question: What was the original idea of The Shed? 

Answer: When people think of bereavement or grief groups, it seems that most of them picture very sad people sitting in a circle crying and

sharing. And sometimes that is what a group is and that can be very effective, but some people are not comforted by this type of group. Actually many people find that they find comfort when busy or productive using their hands or being creative. With this in mind, a widower in Australia started inviting the men from his hospice grief group to his garage to work on projects. Sometimes it was silent as then worked together on a project, but they worked together and that was what brought comfort. Sometimes while they worked they began to talk and share. That was how the first concept of a “shed” type therapeutic place was born. This story was on YouTube and an employee at Serenity Hospice saw it and shared it with our CEO. It became a vision and a goal to try and create this type of center here in Oregon free and open to the public.

Q: How has the reality been compared to the original idea?

A: I think the biggest surprise to us all was that we immediately saw that The Shed could help people experiencing any type of loss ... not just death. ... We try to make it a comfortable place to be. We have food and coffee and sitting areas that have nothing to do with working on a project. We have a retail room where the items are sold and we have a meeting room where we can talk privately with anyone. Another big surprise is that the two of us who run The Shed, Denise Watts and myself, were never that crafty and we have learned to operate equipment, paint, have visions for donated furniture and our own creative sides have flourished! Another surprise has been the response to our classes, particularly Ladies Night Out and our kids programs and camps.