Kayla Bonkowski Donates to Hospice of Michigan Grief Journey Program Ahead of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month
Donation supports free grief support for children, teens, and adults as the November observance approaches STERLING
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Donation supports free grief support for children, teens, and adults as the November observance approaches
STERLING HEIGHTS, MI, UNITED STATES, October 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — STERLING HEIGHTS, Michigan, October 19, 2026
Kayla Bonkowski, a social work graduate student in Sterling Heights, Michigan, has made a donation to the Grief Journey Program at Hospice of Michigan ahead of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, observed each November. The program provides grief support to children, teens, and adults at no charge.
“Hospice and palliative care deserve attention long before a family is in the middle of a crisis,” says Kayla Bonkowski. “The planning, the conversations, the clinical support: all of it is more effective when it begins early.”
About the Grief Journey Program
The Grief Journey Program offers grief support led by master’s-level clinicians trained in grief-related issues, in person and virtually. Support begins when a patient is admitted to hospice and continues with families after a death. For young people, offerings include Camp Good Grief, a free one-day camp for ages 8 to 17.
Hospice of Michigan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hospice provider that describes itself as the largest in the state. It cares for more than 4,200 hospice patients and supports more than 14,000 family members each year across 56 counties.
“Hospice of Michigan is doing this work in communities across the state every day,” says Kayla Bonkowski. “Supporting them is a way of putting something behind the conversation rather than just having it.”
Why Earlier Conversations Matter
A 2016 systematic review and meta-analysis of 43 randomized clinical trials, published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and led by Dio Kavalieratos, PhD, found that palliative care was associated with significant improvements in patient quality of life and symptom burden. The review also found better advance care planning and higher patient and caregiver satisfaction among those who received palliative care.
Many families first encounter palliative care late, often at or near the point of hospice enrollment, says Kayla Bonkowski. “Having the conversation before it is urgent is the clinical intervention,” she says. “By the time most families are ready, the window for the most useful planning has already narrowed.”
More information about Hospice of Michigan is available at https://www.hom.org.
Kayla Bonkwoski
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Kayla Bonkwoski
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