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Our local palliative care professionals hope people dealing with loss will use today to remember, reflect, and connect with others.
Tuesday, November 19th, is National Grief and Bereavement Day in Canada, something that Hospice Renfrew Grief and Bereavement Counsellor Jenny Rigby-McCabe will help people facing a situation she understands is difficult for many people to share with others.
This year’s theme is “Remember, Reflect, and Connect,” three steps that Rigby-McCabe hopes will give people in our community the opportunity to collectively learn to reach out and to offer genuine support to those around us.
She adds that supporting a friend or family member experiencing a loss can be as simple as being present.
Everyone grieves differently, and not everyone will want to reach out, so Rigby-McCabe says to avoid general offers to help in favour of something tangible and specific, such as assisting with chores or pets. She also urges everyone to respect the boundaries of others whenever possible.
Hospice Renfrew is also equipped to help, with a deep library of resources, grief counselling, and monthly group settings that provide a safe, neutral space to those looking for everything from general support to more specific help, such as coping with seasonal grief.
The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association is offering a free webinar to mark National Grief and Bereavement Day, titled How to Remember, Reflect, and Connect in Grief for Grievers and Everyone, this Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.
(written by Kasey Egan)
