Submitted by Navigating Grief
Throughout Fridays in the month of April, local residents can drop off small, good condition, clean medical equipment and unopened healthcare supplies during a collection drive to benefit the Thurston County Medical Equipment Bank, a program of the Thurston County Council on Aging during open house hours at the Navigating Grief Discover-Create-Share Center in Olympia.
Grief stands in the shadow of caregiving, prolonged illness and the death of a loved one as a normal, even if painful, part of life. In the aftermath of illness – whether it be from cancer treatment, memory disease, chronic conditions or hospice service – families end up with all sorts of accumulated stuff bought to support the care. Canes, walkers, gauze and boxes of gloves; hospital beds, CPAP machines and bathing stools… the list can be long. The items can really pile up in a corner of the home!
After an illness, the medical stuff lingers and become a reminder of the often difficult days before. No longer needed, throwing away what could be useful to another can feel like throwing away a connection to the loved one. Keeping the healthcare equipment and supplies can also be equally uncomfortable. A desire to rid the home or room of the reminders can we met with “now what?”
Navigating Grief is proud to host a month long collection drive for The Thurston County Medical Equipment Bank, a local resource for re-purposing clean used medical equipment. The MEB serves more than 4,680 people a year of all ages, loaning out much needed items free of charge. “We’ve seen a big rise in use of services since the downturn of the economy over recent years” notes Rick Crawford, director of TCOAA. “Honestly, keeping our shelves from becoming bare is the biggest challenge.”
As a step along one’s grief journey, taking action to remove equipment and supplies can be healing in two ways: the caregiver or family is able to give a sense of new use to the things their loved one used, and physically clearing is one way to acknowledge the changed landscape after loss (or even new health). To begin the process with equipment associated with illness is usually one of the first and easier steps.
Navigating Grief is offering a Spring Cleaning after Loss with professional organizer Elain Carroll on Saturday, April 12, and will accept MEB donations that day as well. For more information,www.navigatinggrief.com or www.medicalequipmentbank.org
