Death and Grief During a Pandemic

Jane – Connection, place, and grief

Jane talks about the difference between living alone in Toronto while grieving during the pandemic compared to her experience once she moved closer to her family in Northumberland.

John Martin – Loss, Grief and Covid-19

John discusses loss and COVID

Lynda – “Guilt during a time of crisis”

Lynda discusses how to deal with guilt.

Jane – Loneliness while processing grief

Jane talks about grieving without her extended family because of the pandemic and how that’s impacted things like scattering ashes and having celebrations of life.

Karyn and Aidan – Humour

Karyn and Aidan talk about how they use humour as a connection and a coping tool

Holly – Singing in the last days

Holly talks about her partner’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis, the pandemic, their decisions, faith and how singing

Christian – Grieving spaces

Christian talks grieving spaces and people coming together when grieving

Christian – Grieving the whole person

Christian talks about how we choose remember people when there has been a loss to drug poisoning

Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Other Special Days

When we are grieving, some days are more difficult than others. Grief comes in waves like the sea and can feel like an intertwining labyrinth of emotions. Birthdays, anniversaries, and special dates that are associated with our loved one who has died can contribute to more emotionally intense days which can be worsened through the anticipation and “what ifs” of the upcoming day. These difficult days can leave us feeling defeated and it can almost feel like we’ve taken two steps backward in our grieving process, but grief does not have a timeline, and these feelings of setbacks are opportunities for healing.

Kate – Time to process

Kate shares about time and processing her grief especially during COVID

Andrea – My Story

Andrea shares her story of losing her husband during a pandemic

Michele – Talks about being a death doula

Michele explains what death doula’s do. Doula means servant. They support people on many different levels… for instance, emotionally, spiritually and physically