Vancouver Hospice Society expands grief support to those who lost loved ones to COVID-19

The pandemic has made it nearly impossible for people to gather and grieve collectively after losing a loved oneto COVID-19 and the Vancouver Hospice Society (VHS) wants to help.

The non-profit society has expanded its griefcounselling services to include sessions specifically for those mourning someone who died as a result of the disease. The online group sessions are free, will run once a week for four weeks, and are facilitated by a trained clinical counsellor.

Executive director Sarah Cobb says the sessions allow people to come together and share their pain at a time when people are socially isolated and unable to start the grieving process at a funeral or mourning ceremony.

"Without these rituals, it can stifle our ability to process our grief... and can lead to more complex feelings down the road," said Cobb on CBC'sThe Early Edition on Wednesday.

Public reached out for help

Cobbssaid the society launched the program because ofdemand from the community.

She said people started calling hospice staff, with many sayingtheir grief had been affected by being unable to gather with others,that they were suffering, andthey needed support.

So VHSstaff decided to fill thatneed.

"We are going to offer what we can while we can," said Cobbs.

The sessions, she said, also offer a way for people affected by the pandemic to feel like they are not a statistic, and not livingin anonymity with their pain.

"We know that being able to connect with others who have experienced a similar death can be a helpful part of the grief process," said VHS clinical counsellorKayla Hochfelderin a statement.

Hochfelder said the group will also include a discussion of coping strategies, along with helpful resources.

In addition to individual grief counselling, VHS offers a range of bereavement support groups that address specific types of loss, such aschildren's grief groups, spousal loss, parental loss, adult child loss, and groups for friends and families of those who have chosen to die through Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

To learn more about VHS and to register for a grief session, visit their website at vanhospice.org.

If you do not live in Vancouver and are looking for grief support, call the B.C. Bereavement Helpline at1-877-779-2223.

To hear the complete interview with Sarah Cobb on The Early Edition, tap here.