Bereaved Families of Ontario Kingston Region
993 Princess St. Unit 14 Suite 1415 K7L 1H3 Kingston, ON, Canada

Wondering how the provincial shutdown is affecting Bereaved Families of Ontario - Kingston Region? The office may be closed, but we are still around, working remotely at this time. Please email [email protected] or call 613-634-1230 for support. We will get back to you as soon as possible. One-on-one support is available, and several Support Groups (see below) are still taking place on Zoom. Spousal-Partner Loss: Second Thursday Monthly at 6:30 p.m. Parent (Loss of a Child): ...Second Tuesday Monthly at 6:30 p.m. Mourning Coffee: Fourth Tuesday Monthly at 11:00 a.m. Living with Loss: Third Tuesday Monthly at 6:30 p.m. (This Living with Loss group will help support attendees from all the other groups and will have multiple facilitators available to breakout into virtual rooms) Even during the pandemic, #WeAreHere to #SupportYGK

We are looking for volunteers who are interested in helping others who are grieving the death of someone close. This is an opportunity to touch the lives of others and to make a meaningful difference. Volunteering is flexible and adaptable to your schedule. Currently all support is done online or by telephone in a one-on-one or a group setting. You will be able to help and give much needed support if you -have previously experienced grief, -are a good listener, -are mental...ly strong, and -are interested in learning about bereavement, grief and how to support others. You will be required to submit a Vulnerable Sector Check (can be done online). Training will be provided. Apply now See more

Wishing everyone who celebrates a peaceful, healthy Christmas! Our office will be closed tomorrow, but messages and emails will be responded to as soon as possible. Please reach out if you need support because #WeAreHere to #SupportYGK.

Some tips for coping during the holidays: Accept that it may be a challenge for you, so allow yourself a wobble. Be with the people you love, even if you feel like hiding, but it's also okay to have some time on your own. Junk food and alcohol are not crutches! Enjoy happy moments it is healthy and normal to laugh... Light a special memory candle. Hang one or more special mementos, photos or messages on your tree. Buy yourself a special gift in your loved one’s memory to cherish. Buy or make others small gifts in the dead person's name. Make WhatsApp, Zoom or FaceTime calls to family and friends. Play Christmas music music is a wonderful way to lift your spirits. Bundle up and go for a walk especially on sunny days! Contact BFO for support - 613-634-1230 or [email protected] #WeAreHere to #SupportYGK

Grief is a natural reaction to the trauma we experience when someone close to us dies. When we are happy we want to share our happiness. It should be the same when we are sad. Both emotions need equal expression. Sharing our grief is one of the healthiest things we can do. Bereaved Families of Ontario - Kingston Region is there to support you, one-on-one (online at the moment) or in a small Zoom group. Call or email us. Our services are free. #WeAreHere to #SupportYGK

"*With recommendations against even small indoor family gatherings, perhaps set up a video conference with your family and together you can talk while preparing small batches of a special family dish. Or make a large batch and deliver some to a nearby friend or neighbor. *Send a card or text to family members and share a special memory or photo of the loved one you are all grieving. *Try making a collage about your loved one that you can take a picture of and then share with ...others. *Many find comfort in writing a letter to their deceased loved one about how they are faring and placing it somewhere special on a mantel, next to the menorah or kinara, in a basket of holiday cards. *If one of your holiday traditions is tree trimming, invite your family to join you outdoors and decorate a tree in your yard or purchase a potted tree that can stay outdoors." If you need support this holiday season, Bereaved Families of Ontario-Kingston Region is there to support you, one on one (online at the moment), or in a small zoom group. Call or email us. Our services are free. https://www.hospicechesapeake.org//coping-with-covid-19-g/

With recent staffing changes and through the summer months, BFO will be offering the following groups virtually with ZOOM; Spousal Loss Grief Support Parent (Loss of a Child) Grief Support and... Living with Loss Grief Support Group all other groups will not be running until the Fall. If you are interesting in participating in a group or would need 1:1 support; please email [email protected] or call 613 634 1230 and we will provide registration information.

Today is the day! #givingtuesday2020 is here and we are relying on your support to aid in the funding of Bereavement Services of Ontario Kingston Region programs and services. Let's do this together! Using the CanadaHelps link ensures BFO Kingston receives the added donation from CanadaHelps during #givingtuesday2020 per contribution. https://www.canadahelps.org//bereaved-families-of-ontari/

The first weeks and months after an out-of-order death are a world unto themselves. At that initial time of impact, few things bring comfort. It’s not an ordina...ry time, and ordinary rules do not apply. Here are some of my survival rules from those early days. 1. Safety first. Do it for yourself, if you can. Do it for others if you must. 2. Drink. Drink water. 3. Move. In whatever ways your body might be able to move, movement can help. Not because it solves anything, but because movement, itself, as you're able, can make things different. 4. Get outside. There is a lot to be said about being in places that don’t need anything from you. 5. Tend something. Whatever the reason why, tending something seemed to help. It did then, and it still does now. 6. Read. My notes from back then say simply: it seems to put you in a better place. NOTE: No matter how much of a book person you were before your loss, your capacity to read has most likely been impacted by grief. Some grieving folx find audio books easier to consume. My book is also available in audio book format. 7. Shower. Really. The same goes for sweeping the floor or any other seemingly tedious and irrelevant task of hygiene. Really. You will feel just the tiniest bit better to be clean. 8. Eat. This is a tricky one. Some people eat under stress; some people, like me, lose all desire or interest in food. Do what you can. 9. Do not turn your anger on yourself. This is what you are doing when you think you aren’t doing this right, that you’re the one messing up your continued connection, that you should be better at this. Notice you’re angry. Call it that. Name it for what it is, don’t turn it on yourself. 10. Say no. Say yes. You cannot afford any big drains to your energy, and you can’t afford to miss too many ways to replenish it. Say no to what drains you further, say yes to what might offer even the smallest respite or support. How about you? What are some things you find useful? Are there ways you anchor yourself, or rules that help guide you? If you feel you have passed through that initial time, can you look back and see what helped? Let us know in the comments.

Please note, over the summer months the number of groups will reduce with Bereaved Families of Ontario Kingston Region We will still hold the following group through ZOOM. "Living with Loss" grief support for everyone will be August 18th All groups will begin at 6:30 p.m. -- please email [email protected] to register for the ZOOM call

#takecareofyourself

#wearehere to help #supportygk