Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Janice – “It’s never too late to grieve”

Janice talks about the importance of noticing feelings.

Cara – Intellectual disabilities and advance planning

Cara explains that people living with intellectual disabilities are growing to older ages, much like the rest of the population. And as folks are aging what we’re seeing is the need for families more so than ever, to do some advanced planning for who will take over any caregiving decision making or where that person may live, what sort of support they may need and what that’s going to look like after the parents or the guardians die so that this doesn’t become a crisis situation.

Jacqueline – Where to store art works

Jacqueline explains how art can be like journal entries that you would keep private

Calls to Care, Calls to Action: Bearing Witness to Global Catastrophic Loss of Life and Traumatic Events

We bear witness to stories of mass loss of lives, stories of families in Gaza being forced from their land, loss of culture and traditions, and countless other ways systems of colonization and oppression can contribute to other non-death losses those who are directly affected currently and have historically faced. As we discussed in a previous article, we can also experience collective grief following natural disasters, accidents, international conflict, and acts of violence that have resulted in catastrophic loss of lives.

Jen – “Releasing grief through yoga”

Jen discusses how some poses can help release stress.

Janice – “More to deal with than death when someone dies”

Janice explains that when somebody dies it’s not just the death that you are dealing with but the entire relationship.

Maureen – “Carrying grief”

Maureen gives an analogy of how hard it is to carry griefMaureen gives an analogy of how hard it is to carry grief.

Keith – “Timeframe for grief”

Keith explains it is never too late to grieve and there is no timeline.

Jessica M – Legacy

Jessica explains legacy and gives examples including her own.

Christian – “When people say dumb things”

Christian explains how he deals with people who say dumb things.

Janice – “Feelings just are”

Janice explains the importance of listening to, trusting and honouring ourselves and our feelings.

Keith – “We need one another”

Keith talks about the importance of story, understanding our journey and how we are connected.