Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Ripples of Grief: Supporting Ourselves, Others, and our Communities After a Death

By Jessica Milette, MSW, RSW When death knocks on the door of a community, each of us are impacted. Sometimes a death will touch many lives across a community, whether people knew the deceased personally or not. We may grieve the death of a family member, friend, or acquaintance, a well-known community member, or someone…

Maureen – “Milestones and anniversaries”

Maureen talks about loss and what happens over time.

Marija – The wilderness of grief

Marija discussed acknowedging all aspects of grief and living with grief.

Jen – “1st year non-judgmental”

Jen discusses the ups and downs of the 1st year.

Janice – “Grief can be complicated”

Janice discusses disenfranchised grief and holding on to hurt.

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.

Rev. Sky – “It gets easier”

Rev. Sky talks about time and allowing emotion.

Cara – Grief and intellectual disabilities is a topic that needs to “get out there”

Cara shares some information from a participant in her research on intellectual disabilities and the bereaved. A person with an intellectual disability said… “Grief: It’s a topic that needs to get out there” Grief is something that so many people are hesitant to talk about, to display, to show, because there’s so many social rules around how we grieve. This is particularily challenging for the intellectually disabled.

Jacqueline – Advice to Younger Self

Jacqueline talks about seeking help and being kind to yourself

Michele – Normalizing conversations around death dying grief and loss

Michele discusses grief literacy, the importance of talking and that dying is a part of life

Jean – Traditions and grief

Jean discusses belief systems and traditions

Grief, Breastfeeding, and Care

In this essay, I share a bit about my story of grief and breastfeeding. I also share some thoughts about the cultural grief some people are carrying about the lack of support afforded to lactating families whose goal it is to feed their baby from their body. I use some gendered language throughout this essay…