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Message from the Chair
Hello BON members,
Happy Spring 2016! I want to start by encouraging you to “like” us on the BON Facebook page. Keep current about the Network and the profession. By now many of you will have received your password for the members-only section of the BON website and I encourage you to take advantage of the information posted there. Your password is on the 2016 BON membership renewal receipt you received from Kelly, our AA. If you haven’t renewed your membership yet, please do so today. We encourage you not to waiting until the fall to renew; renew today to take advantage of all the benefits of membership!!
I want to share some exciting BON news. The Board has two new members …
I am pleased to introduce you to your new BON Board Vice-Chair; Monica Do Coutto Monni, B.A. Pol.Sci. M. Psych.
She is a professional member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, Palliative Care Instructor at Canadore College, sole proprietor of DCM Education and Training, Volunteer Coordinator and Bereavement and Grief Lead of Near North Palliative Care Network. Among other specializations, Monica holds certification in Board Governance (The State University of New York), and Training and Learning Programs for Volunteer Community Health Workers (Johns Hopkins University).
She has international experience in non-profit and for-profit top management, a solid vision of organizational structure and strategic growth. A Canadian-Brazilian citizen, Monica formerly owned a for-profit training institute in Brazil, and worked for many years in education and training, as MBA international liaison among Universidade Sao Francisco, Stanford and Harvard Universities.
Monica became involved with Hospice Palliative Care and Bereavement Education and Training in Canada in 2009. Since then, she has developed Grief and Bereavement training and services for the Near North Palliative Care Network and DCM Education and Training, and has trained new teams of Bereavement and Grief Volunteers in several locations of Ontario. She is one of the authors of the new HPCO - Hospice Palliative Care of Ontario 2016 online Training Program for Hospice Volunteers.
I am also pleased to introduce you to your newest BON Board Member-at-Large;
 Maureen Pollard, MSW, RSW
Maureen Pollard Social Work Services
She is a registered social worker who has worked with individuals and families for 24 years. In her private practice, Maureen supports those who have experienced traumatic bereavement including pregnancy and infant loss and child death, suicide and other difficult losses. She also works in the area of child custody and parenting, and provides education and support to individuals on the experience of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. Maureen can be contacted at Office: (905)377-1700 or on her website, www.maureenpollardmsw.com.
With the Board fully membered, we have been working on the BON Strategic Plan. The Board has spent a full day together and a Skype meeting looking at the future of BON in this province and this profession. We are in the phase of evaluation, assessment and review. We are focussing on challenges and needs, strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities.
The Board also continues to meet monthly for a 1.5 hour meeting by Skype. The agendas are always very full dealing with finances, website enhancements, conference planning, ways to increase our social media presence, internal communication and this BONewsletter.
The 26th Annual 2016 BON Conference promises to be unforgettable! We have changed the days of the week for the conference and this year will start on Thursday, October 13th and end on Saturday, October 15th.
The theme this year is; Connect – Learn – Support
You can read more in the report from the BON Conference Planning Committee Chair; Sharon O'Donnell. A big thank you to Sharon and her committee for their hard work and commitment to BON and this profession in Ontario! If you are interested in being part of this planning committee, contact Sharon today!
Finally, I want to thank the Board, Kelly our AA, the Conference Planning Committee and the regional reps who all give so generously of their time and energy to build BON.
Blessings,
Cindy Elkerton
BON Board Chair
cindy@papillonpsychotherapy.ca
Important BON contacts;
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Message from Vice Chair
Dear All,
It is a true pleasure to send a personal message to you for the first time in our Newsletter and Website. I sincerely wish that this is the start of a very positive, lasting and fulfilling relationship!
My name is Monica Do Coutto Monni and I am a recent addition to the BON. Our Chair Cindy Elkerton asked me to liaise the Board and our valued Regional Representatives. So here I am for you, and looking forward to knowing a little bit of your personal story, your experience, challenges and needs as BON Member and Regional Representative!
We are living exciting times. Not only the end-of-life industry is undergoing fast and dramatic change but also Bereavement and Grief services have never been in such great demand. With a whole generation of Baby Boomers aging and their caregivers in search of information, training, support and services, the BON is taking bold steps to serve this growing sector of our population, and to connect and support Bereavement and Grief professionals and clients looking for one another.
We are here to learn from you and network you with the Bereavement and Grief Community in Ontario. We connect those who want to learn from specialized trainers. The challenge of serving our whole Province is huge and exciting, and so are the opportunities of growing together as an organization.
To accomplish that, the first and decisive step is excellent communication. Please email us often, let us know what is happening in your Region, ask our support, give us your suggestions. Raise awareness about the BON among the healthcare partners in your area, give presentations about what we do in your community, and invite them to become our members too!
The BON Board is taking exciting steps in Strategic Planning that will soon reflect in more and better services to you and our community, expansion and exciting opportunities! I am looking forward to starting this dialogue with you! Wishing you a fabulous spring time!
Kind Regards,
Monica Do Coutto Monni
BON Vice-Chair
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BON Conference 2016
Connect - Learn - Support
October 13 to 15, 2016
The members of BON provide a wide range of care and services to the end-of-life and bereaved. These individuals and families come from diverse populations including type of loss, age demographic, cultural background and support needs. As such, our participants look to the BON conference to meet a varied list of needs and interests for learning and support. For this reason, we have decided not to limit ourselves to a theme this year. It is our aim to provide an array of educational and insightful speakers and workshops in alignment with the BON motto, ‘Connect – Learn –Support’
The Call went out, and you responded! We have received excellent submissions for the conference this year covering a broad range of topics. We hope that the conference will also provide participants a retreat, with additional opportunities for personal care and rejuvenation.
Each year the conference participants are asked to provide feedback, and we try to listen c losely to your suggestions. Complicated Grief is a topic on which many caregivers to the bereaved express interest to gain deeper knowledge and skill. We are excited to share that this year we will offer a full day Pre-Conference by Dr. Katherine Shear, professor and director of the Center For Complicated Grief, Columbia University, NYC. Dr. Shear brings many years of research and will share her accumulative knowledge and skill regarding this important topic.
Be sure to mark October 12th to 15th in your calendar, and stay tuned for further details. We will soon have the Conference registration available on the BON Website.
Sincerely,
The BON Conference Committee
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The John D. Morgan Memorial Conference Scholarship
The John D. Morgan Memorial Conference Scholarship is open to anyone who is enrolled in a course or program in grief and bereavement or a related field (full time or part time). The recipient will attend the conference at no cost and receive a one-year membership in BON.
Click here for more information.
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Regional Reports
BON Regional Representatives keep you connected with the bereavement news and events happening within your region. Click here to read about what is happening in your community and regions across Ontario.
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BON Regional Representatives are the face of BON in the 16 Regions of Ontario.
If you are interested in bringing your community together to improve bereavement support and resources, please take time to learn more about being a Regional Representative. Please note: there are Regional Representative openings available.
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The Sharing Project – Embracing Joy through Legacy Work
By Barb Nolan R.N., B.N.
What does living with dignity really mean? That is a question I heard posed at a Hospice Palliative Care Conference I attended several years ago. The presenter was world renowned palliative care psychiatrist and researcher, Dr. Harvey Chochinov. He was sharing the findings of his research on the topic of dignity, and the subsequent development of ‘Dignity Therapy’. I left that conference deeply inspired by the concept of promoting dignity at end of life through helping people to create a tangible legacy.
From that time forward, I started incorporating legacy work, which I have named ‘The Sharing Project’, into my nursing practice in a weekly community day hospice program. Utilizing the extensive skills within the wonderful team of volunteers assisting me, we began offering to help people create a written legacy.
For full article, click here.
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MyGrief.ca - Understanding grief and loss
Grief support is an unmet need for too many Canadians. To help address this need, the Canadian Virtual Hospice in cooperation with national and international grief experts, family members who have “been there” and pan-Canadian partners have developed MyGrief.ca. This free online resource helps people understand and work through their loss from the comfort of their home and at their own pace.
For full article, click here.
Canadian Virtual Hospice (virtualhospice.ca and portailpalliatif.ca) is the most comprehensive online source of evidence-based information on palliative and end-of-life care, loss and grief in the world. It serves people living with advanced illness, family members, health care providers, educators and researchers.
For more information, contact:
Marissa Ambalina, Communications Consultant
(204) 478-1758
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Losing Len
by Bob Paulin
I’m Bob Paulin. I tattoo and have had a long career in the business with lots of success. Might have looked as though it was easy. It wasn't. It was slow and difficult and everything that could've went wrong did, but I didn't let anything slow my progress. Still don't. Life will go the way I want it to if I can do anything about it. But I didn't always think this way. Twice in my life my perspective changed on a grand scale. The first was the birth of my son & the second was the unexpected passing of my younger brother in an accident. He was in his twenties and he was away on a weekend getaway with his friends having fun. It was a getaway from the drama of a rocky point in his life. He was the middle brother and I was the oldest but we got along very well. One of the reasons that we were friends as well was because we were so much alike. We were both artists and musicians. We both just had sons and we were both having relationship problems.
For full article, click here.
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Wisdom on grief and loss in Buddy’s Life Lessons
Book Review by Kate Kennington, Family Support Manager at Threads of Life
Anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Audrey Stringer knows and can appreciate her genuine down to earth honesty. Audrey doesn’t pull punches, she tells it like it is. The second thing people quickly learn about Audrey is her sense of humour, a quirky ability to see the lighter side of life and how it can help as one faces the depths of loss.
In her latest book, Buddy’s Life Lessons: My paw prints on grief & loss, Audrey, a strong advocate of journaling, helps give her beloved dog a voice to share his final days. Still trying to understand and deal with the cancer diagnosis of her husband Brian, only three weeks later their lives are further shaken to learn that Buddy also has cancer. The vet has given him three weeks to live.
For full article, click here.
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Resources to Share
- Remembering Practices - This is a website listing resources and articles on the topic of remembering that the relationship does not die when a person dies. "Remembering practices are a narrative approach to grief psychology that emphasize the ongoing story of relationship. Drawing on practices of story telling, narrative legacy and rituals, these practices aim to keep relationships alive. ... From this perspective, grief becomes an evolving and creative opportunity for story development and change, rather than an unpleasant task to be worked through as quickly possible. Remembering practices provide people who are dying and people living with grief hope that the dead will not be forgotten." by Lorraine Hedtke
- May I Walk You Home by Joyce Hutchison, Joyce Rupp This easy to read book has short stories from the authors’ experience of being a hospice nurse walking beside her patients as they take their final journey. It is written to offer encouragement and hope for caregivers. It is a based on her spiritual beliefs and has short meditations, prayers and thoughts for the day for caregivers use. This book would be helpful for caregivers and bereavement professionals who want to reflect and learn from their own loss stories.
- KidsGrieve2 Q&A connects families, professionals and volunteers with expert advice on supporting children and youth who are grieving a death or an expected death. This forum is hosted by Canadian Virtual Hospice. The next two forum dates are: Tuesday June 7 1-2pm EST and Tuesday Sept 13 1-2pm EST. To participate in the live forum email: KidsGrieve2@virtualhospice.ca.
- My Girl Life is seen and experienced through the eyes of an eleven-year-old girl, named Vada. She lives in a funeral parlor with her widowed father and grandmother who helped raised her after her mothers’ death when she was two days old. There are many comedic scenes in this movie as Vada views living in a small town with her best friend, Thomas J. When tragedy strikes, Vada is devastated with her present loss. The situation gives her the courage to voice out loud her biggest fear; that she thinks she killed her mother. This movie is not for children but is a powerful message on how important it is to listen and communicate well with children that have experienced the loss of a loved one.
- Moody Cow Meditates is a book about Peter a Cow who is having a rotten day. His grandfather teaches him meditation by creating a mind jar. Check out the Mind Jar app for the iPhone/iPad or make your own mind jar.
- Colour Me Calm - adult colouring books seem to be the last trend in helping people actively participate in mindfulness and meditation. There are also a number of adult colouring apps found in iTunes and Google Play that will allow you to colour when you need a break or are on the go.
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Upcoming Events
The Benefits of Meditation
Date: May 17
Time: 7:00-8:30pm
Location: Morse & Son, 5917 Main Street, Niagara Falls, ON
Host/Contact: Marny Atkinson
Details: Brenda Hobbs will discuss the benefits of samatha meditation and how it aided her in her own grief.
Grief Groups for Adult Loss of a Parent (2 part session)
Date: May 18
Time: 1:30-3:00pm
Location: Morse & Son, 5917 Main Street, Niagara Falls, ON
Host/Contact: Marny Atkinson,
Father’s Day Drop- In
Date: May 19
Time: 7-9 pm
Location: 1050 Simcoe Street N., Oshawa, ON
Host/Contact: Bereaved Families of ON, Durham
Details: Please see website for details
The Benefits of Meditation
Date: May 19
Time: 10:00-11:00am
Location: Morse & Son, 5917 Main Street, Niagara Falls, ON
Host/Contact: Marny Atkinson
Details: Enjoy an hour of colouring and conversation to de-stress and feel calm. Colouring sheets and pencil crayons will be supplied.
Grief Groups for Spousal Loss (4 part session)
Date: May 24, May 31, June 7, & June 14
Time: 1:30-3:00pm
Location: Morse & Son, 5917 Main Street, Niagara Falls, ON
Host/Contact: Marny Atkinson
The Benefits of Meditation
Date: May 26
Time: 2:00-3:30pm
Location: Morse & Son, 5917 Main Street, Niagara Falls, ON
Host/Contact: Marny Atkinson
Details: Brenda Hobbs will discuss the benefits of samatha meditation and how it aided her in her own grief.
Evening Drop-In
Date: May 26, June 8 & 23, July 13 & 28, Aug. 10 & 25, Sept. 14 & 22
Time: 7-9 pm
Location: 1050 Simcoe Street N., Oshawa, ON
Host/Contact: Bereaved Families of ON, Durham
Details: Please see website for details
Caregiver Support Group at Hospice Quinte
Date: May 26, 2016
Time: 10:00 am
Location: The Hospice Quinte Centre
Details: This program is open to those who care for a terminally ill individual.
Butterfly Release
Date: Saturday May 28th, 2016
Location: Hospice Gardens in City Park.
Host/Contact: Bereaved Families of Ontario Kingston Region and Hospice Kingston.
Details: Butterflies must be pre-ordered for this event.
Managing Life's Challenges and Changes
Date: May 30, 2016
Time: 1:30 pm
Cost: $5.00 per session
Location: Kelsey’s Restaurant (Major Mackenzie & Jane Street)
Host/Contact: Sandra Principe
Child Loss Reconnect
Date: May 30, July 25
Time: 7-9 pm
Location: 1050 Simcoe Street N., Oshawa, ON
Host/Contact: Bereaved Families of ON, Durham
Details: Please see website for details
Grief Support Session
Date: June 1, 8, 15 & 22
Time: 7:30- 9:00 pm
Location: 21 Gerrard Road, Whitby, ON (Gerrard and Hwy 2)
Host/Contact: Mount Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery
Details: Please see website for details
Infant Loss Drop-In
Date: June 6, July 4, Aug. 8, Sept. 11
Time: 7-9 pm
Location: 1050 Simcoe Street N., Oshawa, ON
Host/Contact: Bereaved Families of ON, Durham
Details: Please see website for details
KidsGrieve2 Q&A
Dates: Tuesday June 7 1-2pm EST and Tuesday Sept 13 1-2pm EST
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EST
Location: Canadian Virtual Hospice.
Contact: KidsGrieve2@virtualhospice.ca.
"I Don't Know What To Say": Providing Support to Someone Who Is Grieving
Date: Wednesday June 8, 2016,
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm EST,
Cost: $45
Location: Webinar
Contact: Andrea Warnick
Details: For downloadable poster and to register click here.
Hurt, The Hope, The Healing towards Health
Date: June 8
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: Morse & Son, 5917 Main Street, Niagara Falls, ON
Host/Contact: Marny Atkinson
Details: Not all losses are those of a spouse, parent, or child. For this reason we are offering two individual sessions exploring aspects of the grief journey to support any type of loss of a loved one.
Hurt, The Hope, The Healing towards Health
Date: June 9
Time: 2:00 – 3:30pm
Location: Morse & Son, 5917 Main Street, Niagara Falls, ON
Host/Contact: Marny Atkinson
Details: Not all losses are those of a spouse, parent, or child. For this reason we are offering two individual sessions exploring aspects of the grief journey to support any type of loss of a loved one.
Orphan Wisdom Series - Die Wise: Making Meaning of the Ending of Days
Date: Friday June 17, 2016
Time: 9:30am-3:30pm
Presenter: Stephen Jenkinson
Location: Convocation Theatre Hall, Theological College, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.
Contact: Hospice Kingston
Father’s Day Tribute
Date: June 19, 2016
Time: 9 am- 2 pm
Location: 21 Gerrard Road, Whitby, ON (Gerrard and Hwy 2)
Host/Contact: Mount Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery
Details: Please see website for details
Afternoon Drop-In
Date: June 20, July 18, Aug. 15, Sept. 19
Time: 1-3 pm
Location: 1050 Simcoe Street N., Oshawa, ON
Host/Contact: Bereaved Families of ON, Durham
Details: Please see website for details
Peterborough Regional Bereavement Networking Group
Date: Friday, June 24, 2016
Time: 10 am to 12 pm
Contact: Jill Sadler or call 1.800.461.0327 x501
Details: RSVP is required. This is a networking opportunity for professionals, volunteers and community organization who provide bereavement support to share information about services offered.
Infant Loss Reconnect
Date: June 27
Time: 7-9 pm
Location: 1050 Simcoe Street N., Oshawa, ON
Host/Contact: Bereaved Families of ON, Durham
Details: Please see website for details
Ride to Remember
Date: July 16
Location: 1050 Simcoe Street N., Oshawa, ON
Host/Contact: Bereaved Families of ON, Durham
Details: Please see website for details
Grief Support Session
Date: August 3, 10, 17 & 24
Time: 7:30- 9:00 pm
Location: 21 Gerrard Road, Whitby, ON (Gerrard and Hwy 2)
Host/Contact: Mount Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery
Details: Please see website for details
Run to Remember
Date: Sept. 11
Location: 1050 Simcoe Street N., Oshawa, ON
Host/Contact: Bereaved Families of ON, Durham
Details: Please see website for details
KidsGrieve2 Q&A
Dates: Tuesday September 13 1-2pm EST
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EST
Location: Canadian Virtual Hospice.
Contact: KidsGrieve2@virtualhospice.ca.
Talking About All Aspects of Grief
Date: September 15, 2016
Time: 1- 3:30 pm
Location: 80 Brock Street. S. Whitby ON
Time: 6:30- 9 pm
Location: 110 Dundas Street W, Whitby On
Host/ Contact: WC Town Funeral Chapel
Phone: 905-430-3714
Details: Please call for Details
Spousal Closed Support Group
Date: September 19, 2016-
Time: Evenings (Time to be announced)
Location: 201- 1650 Dundas Street E., Whitby (Dundas E. & Thickson)
Host/ Contact: VON Durham Hospice
Details: Please see website for details
Spousal Drop-In Support Group
Date: September 19, 2016-
Time: Afternoons (Time to be announced)
Location: 201- 1650 Dundas Street E., Whitby (Dundas E. & Thickson)
Host/ Contact: VON Durham Hospice
Details: Please see website for details
Grief Network Niagara
Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Time: 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Contact: Grief Network Niagara
Details: RSVP is required. Grief Network Niagara is a network of professionals, organizations, businesses and volunteers who provide bereavement support and/or counseling to individuals who are grieving the death of a significant person in their lives. This is not a support group, but they will provide a resource page listing bereavement services in the Niagara region.
Standing in the Fire: Supporting Children and Youth who are Grieving a Death
Date: Friday, September 30, 2016
Time: 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Cost: Early bird rate: $215
Location: Creemore, Ontario
Contact: Andrea Warnick
Details: For more information click here.
Child Grief Awareness Event
Date: Saturday, November 12, 2016
Time: 9:00 to 3:30 pm
Location: Brock University, St. Catharines, ON
Host: Grief Network Niagara
Details: The day will showcase the movie "Inside Out" for families in the morning and have guest presenters for parents and clinicians in afternoon. .
Child Grief Awareness Day
Date: November 17, 2016
Details: Wear Blue!
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About BON
Our Mission
Bereavement Ontario Network is a network of individuals, groups, and organizations which, through the exchange of ideas, resources, and energy, is dedicated to helping the bereaved and the dying.
Bereavement Ontario Network (BON) is a diverse group of organizations and individuals across Ontario that work in the field of grief and bereavement as professionals and volunteers.
BON provides opportunities to access, in a reciprocal manner, the knowledge, experience, wisdom, and sensitivity of other members in Ontario. You can use BON to access this support for your clients and yourself.
Membership in the Bereavement Ontario Network is open to individuals, volunteer organizations, small business, and corporations. If your work brings you in contact with bereaved individuals, BON can help you to help them.
BON offers an annual conference, a directory of members, this newsletter, website, and the services of volunteer regional representatives. These representatives are available to answer questions and to refer you to available resources within your region.
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Stay Connected with BON
Bereavement Ontario Network
174 Oxford Street
Woodstock, ON N4S 6B1
Telephone 519-290-0219
Email: info@BereavementOntarioNetwork.ca
Website: www.BereavementOntarioNetwork.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BereavementOntarioNetwork
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