Note: this program existed in the 1980’s, it is not in operation today
Widowed to Widowed Program Incorporated
Why is there such a program?
The death of a spouse can be a very traumatic experience. Help with normal grief problems can often prevent them from becoming overwhelming. Many people use Widowed to Widowed to transform their painful crisis into an opportunity for personal growth.
Who may use the program?
All widows and widowers throughout San Diego County are invited to contact us.
What does the program offer?
- A twenty-four-hour hotline for those suffering intense stress
- Professional & Peer Counseling
- Weekly discussion groups
- Contact with other widowed persons
- Consultation on grief and widowhood for classes and organizations
- A map project to help with new friendships and transportation
- Creative Widowhood Adjustment Cassettes for stress reduction
- The Gentleman’s Store, an outlet for spouse’s personal belongings and work experience for widows returning to the job market
When and where may I participate?
Although our “home office” is located on University Avenue in La Mesa, the program is really as near as your telephone. If you live in North county, our North County representative can serve you.
What if I need to use the hotline?
Call 291-7900 and say that you need to talk with someone immediately.
Stay on the line and within a few minutes, someone will be located to talk with you. Since this help is provided through the use of an answering service, it is important to be clear whether you just want information or are in need of immediate help.
How is the program supported?
Help and donations from many individuals, groups, and caring organizations have made it possible for the services of Widowed to Widowed to be available to you. While there are no “charges” or “fees” involved, you are strongly encouraged to donate so that the work of this deductible. It is an investment in your adjustment and growth. Now, more than ever, you need to value yourself and your future.
Widowed to Program Incorporated
The first visit to Widowed to Widowed includes a tour of the office and individual counseling about the “One Year Recovery Guarantee.”
The “Creative Widowhood Adjustment Cassettes” have been specially designed to reduce stress and promote healthy adjustment for newly widowed men and women. There is a unique 20-minute message for each day of the week.
The Twenty-four-hour hotline provides reassurance when one is feeling especially low and alone.
The “young widows’ group” meets the needs of women under the age of thirty-five who have lost their spouses.
Parents often need advice about the grief that each child experiences over the loss of a parent.
Widowed to Widowed often provides the encouragement and atmosphere which helps people to reach out and discover they are not unusual after all.
Grief is a universal human experience. When this grief is shared, new friendships often form.
Weekly support groups offer the understanding that can only come from others who have experienced similar grief.
The Gentleman’s Store, located at 7938 La Mesa Blvd., provides a special service to widows when they are ready to donate their husband’s clothing, tools and sports equipment. Besides being a very clean, neat, and pleasant place to volunteer, it is an opportunity for “Displaced Homemakers” to gain on the job experience. Proceeds from the store benefit the Widowed to Widowed Program.
Widowed to Widowed is a non-profit tax-exempt corporation governed by a Board of Directors. These concerned citizens give of their time and talent because of their personal concern for the newly widowed.
If you have been widowed recently, these words may be familiar
Shock: I was numb. Everyone thought I was so strong but I was really in a fog.
Health Problems: “The flu just keeps hanging on”
Social Isolation: “The phone never rings anymore. I feel like a fifth wheel”
Confusion: “At the time, I thought I knew what I was signing”
Nervousness: “I can’t seem to concentrate anymore.”
Loss: “I feel like a big part of me is gone”
Withdrawal: “I no longer do things we used to do or even go places I used to go by myself”
Children: “My married children don’t know what to do with me. The youngest one, still at home, is clinging to me and having problems at school”
Anger: “Why did this happen?”
Resentment: “He didn’t prepare me to cope with this”
Memories: “A certain song on the radio, a special anniversary and I start crying”
Fear: “I don’t go out at night anymore”
Jealousy: “I look at an old man and think why is he still here when my husband who was so much more valuable to this world is gone?”
Apathy: “Now that I have the time, I don’t want to”
Sleeping Problems: “Suddenly, I wake up at 2:00 a.m. with my heart pounding so hard that I’m frightened”
Eating Problems: “I feel like there is a huge lump in my throat. I have lost twenty pounds and my clothes just hang on me”
Coping: “She did all the cooking and grocery shopping”
Pressure: “Everybody is telling me to do different things”
Depression: “Sometimes I wish I had been buried with him. All I do is cry”
Feeling of unreality: “This is all a bad dream”
Financial Worries: “I have no idea how I stand financially. I am still waiting for social security to send a check”