Page 16 - FEB2026

Page 16 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM February 2026
Healthy Living
Safe Space for Healing:
Grief and Loss Support Group at Plymouth Senior Center
By: Guy tillson, GRief suppoRt GRoup facilitatoR
The experience of grief that follows upon a loss is a deeply personal and highly individual reality. Its characteristics can be shaped and formed by the attachment we had to what was lost and the nature of the event of the loss itself. The loss of an abusive parent we reluctantly as- sumed responsibility caring for as they approached the end of their life may arouse different feeling responses than the sud- den death of a much-beloved pet who brought great joy into our life. How we come to terms with
By maRtha sWats, oWneR/ aDministRatoR, comfoRt KeepeRs
Well technically, no. However,
the bundle of feelings that make up our own unique experience of grief is the challenge of mourn- ing that can bring healing.
The next Grief and Loss Support Group offered by Pemi- Baker Hospice & Home Health will attempt to assist participants in looking at the particular fea- tures of their grief. There is no predictability regarding how we respond to loss, the types of reac- tions we may have, the frequency or intensity of these, or how long it will take to "feel better" or "get back to normal". The group is intended to provide a safe space where participants can share their experiences and questions,
be heard, and listen to others. Hopefully, it can help to recover some balance and stability if the emotional reactivity feels confus- ing and stormy.
Our first of six sessions in this series will be on Tuesday, Febru- ary 3, 2026, at the Senior Center in Plymouth, 10:30 AM. Since we are in the winter months, when the weather is bad, we ask participants to check WMUR Channel 9 for closings. When the Plymouth Schools are closed, the Senior Center is also usually closed as well, so we will not be meeting. Even if schools are open when the weather is bad, we ask participants to use their
best judgment in doing what they need to do to remain safe.
Sessions will be held in the up- stairs art room of the Plymouth Regional Senior Center (8 Depot Street, Plymouth), accessible by elevator. Participants needing a parking slip should plan to arrive by 10:15 AM to obtain one at the front desk.
Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is a trusted, nonprofit agency proudly serving 32 towns in central and northern NH since 1967. Expert services include at- home healthcare and physical therapies (VNA), hospice and palliative care, and community programs including American
Red Cross CPR/AED/FA, Caregiver and Bereavement Sup- port Groups and Ask A Pemi- Baker Nurse days at your local senior centers. Providing com- passionate care with experienced staff who are trained, certified professionals and your neighbors. Caring for our community with compassion, dignity and trust.
Pemi-Baker is located at 101 Boulder Point Drive, Suite 3, Plymouth, NH. To contact us please call: 603-536-2232 or email: info@pbhha.org Like our Facebook Page: @pemibaker- hospicehomehealth
other group of men was actually “dropped” into the year 1959, so to speak. This group was im- mersed in mementos from that era, from newspaper articles to radios and black-and-white tele- visions that played shows from the time and told to pretend they were back in 1959. This latter
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Can You Think Yourself Young?
there is a growing body of evi- dence that shows how you per- ceive aging, and your perception of how old you feel, can affect your general overall health and
wellbeing and how old you seem to yourself and others.
Many people may scoff at the idea that you can change your physiology by thinking differently about yourself, but a famous un- conventional experiment con- ducted by Harvard researcher, Ellen Langer, in 1981 has gained prominence over the last several years. In this experiment, Langer
invited two groups of men in their 70s on a “reminiscing re- treat,” without telling them that they were part of a study. All these men had physical difficul- ties or memory issues that caused them to rely on others for help.
One group of men spent the week reminiscing about life in 1959 while surrounded by present-day familiarities. The
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