A link pertaining to grief and bereavement.
Ph: 506-383-2404
A new organization in the city of Moncton, New Brunswick offering support for palliative care and grief support.
As the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health, CMHA facilitates access to the resources people require to maintain and improve mental health and community integration, build resilience, and support recovery from mental illness.
Find the information you seek, whether it be about suicide, mental illness, or coping with suicide loss. You'll find that you can leave comments on all the pages of this site and comment on what others have said. Use this as a place to connect with others who not only want to understand suicide but find hope in the face of loss.
Grieving is seen by many as a process of adjustment following the death of a loved one. It affects a person on different levels: emotional, relational, spiritual, daily organization, etc. However, grieving is a normal stage in life and people usually have the inner strength to cope with it. Due to current conditions with the Covid-19, people who have lost a loved one also face various restrictions (travel, isolation, etc.), which keeps them away from family and friends when they need it most.
The importance of rituals
Rituals have an important role in the grieving process. Hence the importance during this pandemic of doing it differently.
a) The announcement of death can be done in different ways with relatives: phone call, private messages, etc. or to the community in obituaries, social networks in collaboration with the funeral services.
b) From a few hours to a few days after the death, you can organize a special moment in complete privacy. This moment can be done with loved ones while respecting the rules of physical distancing (ex: listening to a special song, reading a poem or other).
c) To end with the funeral ritual, after confinement, according to the wishes of the deceased and his family.
It is important to remember that funeral rituals are used to mark the death of a person, to honor their memory, to bring family and community together and to make sense of the passage from life to death. Funeral rituals during the pandemic are important to prevent those who died during this period from being forgotten and so that those who are grieving receive the attention and the social support they need.
Here are a few tips to help you and your family recover during this time of grief:
Take care of your physical health
• Eat small amounts frequently
• Drink a hot drink
• Take a hot bath
• Go take a short walk
Take care of your emotional heath
• Grief is an important step in the healing process
• Go at your own pace
• Stay alert to your feelings
• Contact a family member or someone you trust. Its normal to need to talk about it regularly.
Take care of your social well-being
• By phone call
• By social networks
• By letter
In initiating the first contact, you will probably be surprised to hear the joy in the voice of your loved ones who do not know how to contact you during this time of mourning.
Need help?
Despite the means used to overcome the situation, you may still need professional services. Here are some possible alarm signals.
• I experience significant and persistent disturbances related to appetite and sleep.
• I have difficulty functioning (family, work, leisure).
• I feel a marked decline in my interest in things I used to love.
• I can’t concentrate or make a decision.
• I feel intense suffering that lasts, or on the contrary, I act as if nothing has happened and I do not feel any emotions.
• I feel overwhelmed by the event to the point of thinking about suicide or hurting another person.
• I isolate myself from my loved ones.
• My use of alcohol, drugs, medication or other substances has increased.
Also watch for signs of fatigue and exhaustion and seek help if needed. You are not alone in this situation. Do not hesitate to ask for help.
Addiction services Mental Health and Child/Youth Team
506-547-2086 - Bathurst 506-547-2110 - Bathurst
506-394-3615 - Tracadie 506-726-2030 - Tracadie
Support group offered by Guylaine Morissette Hachey, ceritified bereavement support group facilitator.
Fall sessions available from September to November. Sessions to be held in the Elhatton's Funeral Home Chapel.
For more information please contact Guylaine at 543-6980 or by e-mail at guylainemuko@gmail.com
Click an obituary for more details and to send condolences.
