CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Kirstan Condit, pictured, received a cake to commemorate her recent retirement from Iowa River Hospice, where she was a licensed social worker and served as bereavement coordinator.

After nearly a decade serving as a social worker and bereavement coordinator at Iowa River Hospice, Kirstan Condit recently announced her retirement from the organization.

Before joining IRH, Condit spent nearly 20 years at Villa Del Sol (now known as Accura Healthcare) and often worked with Iowa River on end of life care for patients there. She had already been leading a caregivers support group since 2007, and she expanded that into heading up the bereavement program at IRH.

“I’ve done all of the support groups for grief,” she said. “Two different ones are done at hospice, and that is such an important part of their help in this community. And all those groups are open to the community. They’re not just for hospice people.”

Condit said that although she’s ready to step away, she’s always felt the groups were her “passion and mission,” and it was gratifying for her to help grieving people realize that all their struggles are a normal part of the process. The groups, she added, also help them make connections and assist each other, even more than she can.

“Even though everybody’s pain is different, they find some commonalities that help each other,” Condit said.

Conny Schutte, a registered nurse at IRH, praised Condit’s “quiet confidence.”

“She brought a calm presence to her support groups and to her friends at work. She is respected throughout the communities we serve,” Schutte said. “She was an integral part in starting the community and IRH support groups.”

As she looks back on her tenure with Iowa River, Condit will remember working with good people, getting to know the people who join the groups and playing a small part in helping them grow.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.