Hope Bereavement Care experiences surge in demand

A local service providing grief counselling has had to create a waitlist for the first time due to exponential demand.

Loretta Hart whose son was stillborn 18 years ago. Loretta is speaking at a breakfast raising money for HOPE Bereavement. Picture: Alan Barber

Loretta Hart credits Hope Bereavement Care with helping combat the feelings of “massive isolation” that came with losing her baby son.

The Ocean Grove woman’s baby son, Flynn, died during labour while being born at 31 weeks.

Earlier in the pregnancy complications had been detected, and Ms Hart and her husband knew chances of a live birth were low.

The day after the loss in 2004, a woman from Hope, which supports locals who are dealing with a sudden or unexpected loss of a loved one, visited Ms Hart at her hospital bed.

“I just looked at her and found I could let go and cry and release … because I had someone who just got it,” Ms Hart said.

“Having her really early on in the piece, I was really fortunate.”

Ms Hart, who has three other children aged 16, 21 and 23, also attended a support group for bereaved parents facilitated by Hope.

“They were what got me through the first six months,” Ms Hart said.

The 49-year-old reached out to the service around the 18th anniversary of Flynn’s death last year, and reconnected with the worker who she cried to the day after his passing.

In her role as a radio presenter at The Pulse, she has been conducting interviews with Hope staff as part of a grief series on her program.

“People in Geelong don’t know Hope exists and how fortunate we are we have them,” Ms Hart said.

With more than 500 referrals received last year alone, of which over 200 were referred due to the death of a loved one through suicide, Hope Bereavement Care is experiencing exponential growth in the number of people needing its care, with the organisation establishing a waitlist in 2023 for the first time.

The not-for-profit was established in the 1980s, founded by local paediatrician Dr Bernie Jenner.

On Tuesday, Ms Hart will share her experience at the 14th annual Hope Bereavement Care Sports Breakfast which raises funds to provide free grief counselling.

Speakers will also include Cats hero Joel Selwood.

The breakfast will be held at GMHBA Stadium.

More information and tickets can be found at https://www.trybooking.com/CGGRV

Ticket sales close at midnight Saturday.

Originally published as Hope Bereavement Care experiences surge in demand