Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Jenn – Your art completely belongs to you

Jenn explains the wonderful thing about art is that piece belongs completely to you and you have the power to do whatever you wish with it . She makes some suggestions as to what you may want to do.

Sara – Creating music

Sara explains how creating music can be a part of the grieving process

Janice – “Practical tools”

Janice reveals some practical methods to help with grief.

Janice – “Grief can be complicated”

Janice discusses disenfranchised grief and holding on to hurt.

Amanda – “Ministry of Presence”

Amanda discusses how being present with someone can be helpful.

Rev. Sky – “Wallowing”

Rev. Sky talks about how wallowing can help you release emotions and heal.

Cara – Intellectual disabilities, sharing and expressing about grief

Cara discusses how it’s very important that people living with intellectual disabilities have the opportunity to not only know about the information about the person being ill and dying and having the choice and opportunity to go to after death rituals. It’s also really important that they get the opportunity to share their story in whatever way they communicate. This can be verbally through sign language, through communication books, art, music, going for walks, being in nature

Cara – Defining Intellectual disabilities and grief

Cara discusses how grief literacy needs to be improved across the board for people with intellectual disabilities to learn more about grief, death and dying. There is a great need to include them in this natural, normal part of life that we’ll all experience.

Rev. Sky – “It gets easier”

Rev. Sky talks about time and allowing emotion.

Cara – People with intellectual disabilities need to be recognized and honoured in their grief

Cara talks about grievers living with intellectual disabilities and that it’s not about those of us who are neuro-typical, giving them a voice or providing them or saying things for them. Rather, it’s that they already have a voice. They already have these experiences and they want them to be recognized, acknowledged and honoured.

Sara – Music at the end of life

Sara talks about the values of music at the end of life

Maureen – “Grief is a messy non-linear place”

Maureen explains how you wind your way through grief and that is normal.