After the loss, ‘Blizzard Blast’ helps loved ones move forward

When their loved ones’ battles with terminal illnesses finally ended, the care Allina Health Services provided Jean Ostrom and Bob Tibbits didn’t go away.
Allina continued to serve Ostrom and Tibbits with mourning care for up to 13 months. Bereavement care is one of the services Allina provides as part of its hospice care. It is funded with proceeds of the Blizzard Blast fundraiser Friday, Jan. 25, at Glencoe City Center.
For Ostrom and Tibbits, bereavement care has made the heartache of losing a spouse a little more bearable. A member of the Allina hospice care team helps grieving family members. Mary Nelson, a social worker and grief counselor for Allina, helped both Ostrom and Tibbits.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Nelson strives to provide the grieving spouse the help they need, whatever that may be. Her style is to offer options, not directions. “I meet them where they are at,” Nelson said.
The assistance Nelson provides can be as easy as providing a sympathetic ear. Some grieving family members have questions they want to ask or things they wanted to say but couldn’t, or didn’t, while caring for their loved one suffering a terminal illness.
“A lot of it is people need someone to listen to them,” Nelson said.

Blizzard Blast
Friday, Jan. 25, 5:30 p.m.
Glencoe City Center
Benefit for Allina Health Services hospice care
Tickets: Available in Glencoe, at Coborn’s in Glencoe, Glencoe Regional Health Services, McBride Funeral Chapel, and Allina Thrift Shop, in Hutchinson at Cashwise Foods and Allina Home Health Care Services, and in Plato at King Pin Pub.

(For the complete story, see the Jan. 23 print edition of The Chronicle.)