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Living with Loss launching in Mount Forest

When a loved one dies, feelings of grief, loneliness and isolation can often be overwhelming. When combined with limited access to grief support, the impact can be devastating for individuals and families. To help support community members during a profoundly difficult time in their lives, Bereaved Families of Ontario – Midwestern Region (BFO-MR) is launching its Living With Loss Program in Mount Forest in January 2016.

“When members of our community are grieving, they feel isolated from the world around them. One of the most painful aspects of the grieving process can be loneliness which often results in isolation,” says Jaime Bickerton, Executive Director of BFO-MR. “When bereaved individuals get support early it helps lessen the burden of grief which affects their emotional stability.”

Through outreach work conducted as part of an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, BFO-MR identified that rural areas lack in peer grief support programs. As a result of meetings held with the Mount Forest Health Team and local churches, a strong desire to launch a mixed loss peer support group was identified.

“We live in an area where grief support is limited,” says Carol Armstrong, Cancer Care Coordinator for the Mount Forest Family Health Team. “Being able to provide the Living with Loss program as an option for bereaved individuals in our community is so important to provide a sense of hope, and promote healing.”

While some people may not necessarily want to be in a group with their neighbours, many don’t have the option to drive an hour or more to the nearest available support program, says Bickerton. By bringing the Living with Loss program to Mount Forest, adults grieving the death of a loved one are given an opportunity to be part of a community that can relate to the grief the experience.

BFO-MR programs are built on a peer/mutual-support model, where volunteers who have experienced the death of a loved one facilitate support groups. Peer support environments have been described as being accepting and less intimidating – it involves reciprocal roles of helping learning and responsibilities. The model also offers role models of hope and tools for recovery and personal growth.

BFO-MR recently hosted an educational session at the Mount Forest Public Library specific to coping with grief during the holiday season. Approximately 25 people attended. “This is a sign to us that people are eagerly searching for understanding and shared support,” says Armstrong.

The first Living with Loss group will be held Wednesday January 6, 2016, with space generously provided by the Birmingham Retirement Community. Subsequent groups will be held the first Wednesday of every month from 7-9 p.m. Topics for discussion will be posted to the BFO-MR website at https://www.bfomidwest.org/living-with-loss-mount-forest/. Registration is not required. Members can attend as often or as little as they would like.

“We are so pleased to be bringing Living with Loss to Mount Forest,” says Bickerton. “This community has been incredibly supportive of this initiative and we look forward to working together to help the healing begin.”

About Bereaved Families of Ontario – Midwestern Region:
In 2016, BFO-MR will be celebrating 20 years of providing peer grief support in Waterloo Region. BFO-MR is a not-for-profit organization offering free peer-lead grief support groups for Parents Grieving the Death of an Infant, Parents Grieving the Death of a Child, a professionally-run program for preschoolers and their caregivers, and Living with Loss – a group for adults who have experienced the death of a loved one. All our services are offered free-of-charge. Full program and event listings at www.bfomidwest.org