Video

Hope – Not wanting to burden my Mom and siblings

Hope shares how much her Mom had to do after her father died and how they worked out their relationship

Donna B – “A Mother salutes her son”

Donna tells her story of joining the army after her son was already a soldier. Donna continues to grieve the death her son during service in Afghanistan.

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.

Mary S – Dogs

Mary talks about how special dogs are and how much they helped her grief

Karyn and Aidan – Grief changes

Karyn and Aidan talk about how grief changes, coping, strength, crying, talking, comfort and support

Claudia – Being stuck and art therapy

Claudia discusses remunating how art therapist can help create different positive perspectives

Teresa – Pierre’s legacy

Teresa shares the story of Pierre and how his medical needs required a move to a long term care facility. He declined very quickly when he was away from people he knew and the familiarity of his surroundings. His story motivated Community Living Dufferin to start providing supportive services and resources in order to have people stay in their home at their end of life.

Adam – Things that are OK to do

Adam talks about things he does to cope with grief like singing and crying

Susan – “My story”

Susan talks about her story and her decision to stop chemotherapy.

Valmy – Creating a song to open dialogue

Valmy talks about how music helps her process feelings and also helps her express her feelings to others

Caileigh – Grief and child behaviour

Caileigh explains when a child experiences grief or a traumatic grief experience, there’s often behaviour that comes from that. Grief impacts behaviour. And sometimes it can be outward behaviour and sometimes it can be internalized behaviour. The good news about grief and behaviour is that it can be managed and supported through effective communication, through therapy and through coping strategies.

Craig – My Cumulative Grief

Craig shares his story of experiencing a series of significant losses over the course of two years. He talks about the shock, grief, and uncertainty he felt during this time, and how he coped with the accumulation of loss.Craig’s story is a reminder that grief is a normal and natural response to loss, but it can be overwhelming when it comes in waves. If you are experiencing grief, it is important to reach out for support from friends, family, or a therapist. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, and everyone experiences it differently. The important thing is to be patient with yourself and to allow yourself to feel your emotions.