BARRHEAD - Helping local residents learn about the impact of grief on the body and gain the tools they need to cope with this emotion is the focus of a virtual event hosted by the Tamarack Health Advisory Council (HAC) on Wednesday, April 6 from 6-8 p.m.
The “Community Conversation about Understanding Grief and Loss” will be conducted over Zoom and is free to anyone living in the area represented by the Tamarack HAC, which encompasses Barrhead, Westlock, Swan Hills, Whitecourt, Hinton and Jasper.
Donna Kristiansen, chair of the Tamarack HAC, said they will have Certified Grief Recovery Specialists taking part in the virtual event, along with addiction and mental health promotion facilitators with Alberta Health Services (AHS).
While it is labelled a “conversation,” Kristiansen indicated the event will be more like a presentation where the experts will talk about dealing with grief and go over the resources that are available to the community to help cope with this emotion.
"It's not a counselling session at all,” said Kristiansen. “It's about providing tools and resources to help those in attendance to build resilience.”
She said that while grief is typically associated with death and the mourning of loved ones who have died, the emotion can also be associated with the loss of relationships, businesses or other personal connections.
Kristiansen said she thinks that we have failed to realize how COVID has impacted society in a lot of different ways.
Even the rituals we use to cope with grief, such as funerals and memorials, were taken away from us amidst the pandemic, as strict limits were imposed on these kinds of gatherings.
She suggested that this virtual event might not only be useful to those coping with grief personally, but also residents who are concerned about other people trying to work through grief.
Asked why the Tamarack HAC specifically was hosting this event, Kristiansen alluded to the fact that the Health Advisory Councils were created as a connection between AHS and the public.
She noted that members of the HAC live in local communities and have family, friends and neighbours there.
“We’re taking on this role because we see it as a very valuable resource,” she said. "At the end of the day, it’s our communities that build that resilience.”
To participate in this free session, residents must pre-register using the following link: https://tamarack-understanding-grief-and-loss.eventbrite.ca.
Incidentally, Kristiansen noted Tamarack HAC is always recruiting new members, and anyone who wishes to potentially join up can check out the AHS website on the advisory councils.
