Hospice support for the family, including bereavement support, continues for at least 13 months after a loved one’s death. That timeframe is intentional: it carries a family through every “first” of the grief year, including the first holidays, the first birthday, and the first anniversary of the loss, which is often one of the hardest days. Grief and loss counseling for the family, both before and after the patient’s death, is part of the hospice benefit itself under Medicare’s rules.
At Seasons Hospice in Tulsa, Oklahoma, our bereavement team stays present through that year and beyond with check-in calls, mailings, counseling sessions, support groups, and remembrance events, all free.
What does the support actually look like month to month?
Early weeks bring practical help and regular check-ins. As months pass, support shifts to counseling, grief groups, and extra care around difficult dates. The rhythm follows the family, not a script; grief does not keep a schedule, a reality reflected in federal guidance on mourning after loss.
Does support really end at 13 months?
Thirteen months is the floor, not a door closing. At Seasons Hospice, families who need longer support simply reach out, and we answer. No one is timed out of grief.
Is the after-death support free?
Yes, entirely. Bereavement care carries no charges at Seasons Hospice, no insurance requirement, and no bill, consistent with everything else we provide.
What about children and teens in the family?
Grief support extends to the whole family, and counselors help parents talk with children about loss in age-appropriate ways, with resources suited to young grievers.
Hospice support for the family: the first year
Hospice bereavement support continues for at least 13 months after a death, long enough to carry a family through the first holidays, the first birthday, and the first anniversary of the loss. Early weeks bring practical help and regular check-ins, support then shifts to counseling, grief groups, and extra care around difficult dates, and at Seasons Hospice check-in calls, mailings, counseling sessions, support groups, and remembrance events are all free. Thirteen months is the floor, and families who need longer simply reach out.
| When | Typical support |
|---|---|
| Early weeks | Practical help and regular check-ins |
| Following months | Counseling, grief groups, check-in calls, and mailings |
| Difficult dates | Extra care around the first holidays, the first birthday, and the first anniversary |
| 13 months and beyond | Thirteen months is the minimum; families who need longer simply reach out |
A year of company for Tulsa, OK families
The casseroles stop after a few weeks; hospice does not. Seasons Hospice walks with families through the whole first year and past it, as we have since 1998. Contact us today or call (918) 745-0222.