Make Grief a Priority with the "National Grief Strategy"

[A Former User]

Join me to fill in a missing piece in healthcare that's especially alarming in these pandemic times. Grieving alone has no place in a caring society. Thank you for adding your name to this call for compassion and support in times of the most agonizing personal loss. You'll be in great company by supporting this campaign. The signatories are truly awesome Canadians.

Share this message with your network to build a social movement.

COVID-19 is affecting how we live and how we grieve. The public health restrictions to contain the virus have affected the grief experience of the families of more than 7,000 Canadians who have died of COVID-19 and of the approximately 75,000 people who have died of other causes during the restrictions. Also affected are those facing a life-limiting illness alone, those grieving an expected death of someone they cannot visit, and those grieving a death that occurred before the pandemic. The visiting and goodbyes that didn’t occur, the family gatherings that weren’t allowed, the funeral rites limited or delayed, the grief suffered in isolation. Many more families will be affected in the months ahead.

On May 12, 36 leaders in grief and bereavement in Canada came together with the Canadian Virtual Hospice to provide a plan to the Government of Canada to support and expand grief services and resources in Canada. To date more than 750 individuals and organizations have signed up to support the proposal. I invite you to read the [proposal](https://www.virtualhospice.ca/Assets/National Grief Response Proposal ENG FIN%5F20200512130901.pdf).

We need your support. Add your name to the growing list of people and organizations asking governments to make supporting grieving Canadians a priority by going to the sign up page (this can be accessed from the Virtual Hospice home page).Please encouraging your colleagues, friends, family and your organization to do so as well.

Please share, tweet, post, like and retweet! Our goal is to create a groundswell of support for #MakeGriefaPriority and #NationalGriefStrategy.

Together we can make positive change for grieving Canadians.

Kindest regards,

Shelly

Shelly Cory, MA

Executive Director/Directrice Générale

Shelly@virtualhospice.ca

T: 204.477.6285 204.223.3596

Pronoun: she/her

www.VirtualHospice.ca | www.PortailPalliatif.ca

www.LivingMyCulture.ca |www.Methadone4Pain.ca

www.MyGrief.ca | www.MonDeuil.ca

www.KidsGrief.ca | www.DeuilDesEnfants.ca

www.LivingOutLoud.life | www.vivreAfond.ca

www.MyGriefToolbox.ca

While we are virtually everywhere, we respectfully acknowledge

that our office is located on Treaty One territory and the traditional

homelands of the M_é_tis people.

[A Former User]

Oh my, this is timely! I am experiencing more and more loss. Yesterday one of my cousins lost her son in a tragic accident out West. Another couple of cousins are battling COVID, job loss and dealing with an infant and an uncertain future.

We have all lost the security of being able to anticipate the future with any certainty, the loss of the hugs and touch of some of our nearest and dearest, the feeling that our children can thrive in the future. We all need to understand and learn how to manage this and maintain our humanity and sanity. I certainly do.