This article was recently published in the Funeral Services Association of Canada Newsletter and we are proud to share it with you here.
Canadian Charity Helps Those Mourning Death Of Parent
The FSAC website now links to a fascinating new Canadian charity. As its name suggests, Losing Our Parents offers support to those with a dying or deceased parent.
While the charity is registered in Canada, its audience is global. The core of the program is an interactive website that offers both information and the opportunity to share stories with people from around the world.
Launched in October 2008, Losing Our Parents is operated by a team of business, health and social work professionals.
The website notes that, “Dealing with the changing health of a parent, seeing their quality of life decline, working hard to ensure good end of life care for them and then dealing with their death, is truly overwhelming.”
There is a clear need for such a resource for Canadians. According to 2007 figures from Statistics Canada, 2.7 million Canadians aged 45 and older (nearly 20% of this age group) provided some form of unpaid care to seniors with long-term health problems. Between 2002 and 2007, the number of Canadians providing care to seniors increased by more than 670,000. Many of these caregivers are also juggling the responsibilities of careers and caring for children in the home. The majority of caregivers were married women working outside the home. Projections show that the proportion of seniors in the general population will increase from 13% in 2006 to 21% in 2026. As our population continues to age, the number of adult children seeking support and advice on this issue will increase.
Losing Our Parents provides retreats for those who are coping with the failing health or recent death of a parent. The first retreat, “Learning To Let Go,” takes place on February 22 in Brampton, Ontario. The website also offers tips for do-it-yourself retreats for men, women and families. Visitors can subscribe to a monthly newsletter featuring tips, articles and shared stories.
Browsers can post comments at various online forums and memorials, including:
- P.S.—I Miss You
- How’s Your Stress?
- Fathers’ Tribute
- Mothers’ Tribute
- Memorials
Losing Our Parents is sponsored by Shoppers Drug Mart, Spark Internet Marketing, The Ontario Trillium Foundation and Design&Develop.
FSAC members are encouraged to share this new resource with the families they serve. For more information visit http://www.losingourparents.com or check out the links section of the FSAC website.
