Bereavement Support is an Essential Service ® - 4 Projects

Why should bereavement support services be treated as an ongoing essential service in British Columbia?

This project is designed to provide evidence that bereavement support in B.C. has a significant value and a deliverable benefit to the community. It will help formalize relationships between bereavement support programs and various organizations / agencies including: School Boards, Health Authorities, Victim Services, Pastoral Care, Funeral Services, Hospice Palliative Care, etc. to build community capacity by providing guidance, education, and materials to expand their services.

The primary objective is to bring attention to the gaps in bereavement support services for youth / children and seniors, thus ultimately advancing bereavement support as an essential service while securing funding to expand these services in B.C.

The first project is for the purpose of re-design / re-structure of the existing website to develop a more service oriented, user-friendly, interactive, yet informative approach.

The other projects are to demonstrate the significance of bereavement support in communities throughout British Columbia by collecting, inputting, analyzing, and presenting over 20 years of historical information. By way of focus groups, the project will utilise the information collected, interpreted and presented to educate and encourage communities and agencies to integrate proven methods into their own practices of their programs. An advisory board has been established since the organization’s inception and will ensure that the project addresses appropriate and relevant issues in various areas of bereavement support to ensure that community capacity building extends to the needs of bereaved citizens.

4 Small Projects

The four distinct projects:
1) Website Development - assess, evaluate and re-design the BCBH website: www.bcbereavementhelpline.com
2) Research Paper - research BCBH, Vital Statistics, and Stats Canada for reference to historical data on bereavement
3) Research Paper - research media released articles on death and dying to determine types of loss and frequency
4) Research Paper - Gathering data on existing bereavement support services across Canada. Analysis of the level of public funding alloted to bereavement services in the different provinces and territories.

-Enhance the existing support network for those facing grief
-Assist Hospice & Palliative Care and other programs in their start up of bereavement support groups
-Help communities build capacity and meet the needs of their bereaved
-Publish results and circulate to harness support and involvement of local health authorities, government, etc.

The larger goal of this project is that the cooperation between existing and emerging community programs and provincial agencies would lead to self-governance, added community service, and overall improved mental & physical health recovery for survivors following the death of a loved one.

British Columbia Bereavement Helpline (BCBH)

Caregivers, Professionals and the bereaved (all ages, all nationalities, and all orientations)

Our Mission: To facilitate the provision of care and support to the bereaved and their caregivers of British Columbia, and to ensure that their interests are publicly safeguarded.

BCBH is a registered non-profit organization providing immediate telephone support for the bereaved, their caregivers and professionals since 1988.

The goals are (1) To promote knowledge, understanding, and awareness of death, dying and bereavement resources and information; (2) To advocate on behalf of the bereaved and their caregivers in the public and private sectors; (3) To raise the profile of the BCBH as a provincial resource centre for the bereaved and their caregivers.

The BC Bereavement Helpline is …
providing immediate telephone support for the bereaved, their caregivers and professionals across the province of British Columbia. Dissemination of bereavement support literature such as loss brochures and the bereavement library to the bereaved and caregivers (both volunteer and professional). Facilitate & host educational events (conferences, training workshops, seminars). Ongoing public education campaign of proclaimed Bereavement Day in BC - November 14th, to foster awareness of healthiness and bereavement support services available to communities of BC. The BC Bereavement Helpline created the BCBH Resource Directory of Bereavement Services in B.C. which now lists over 300 provincial and local non-profit agencies assisting the bereaved. Via the toll free (1-800) or local Vancouver number, referrals are made to connect callers to the appropriate not-for-profit bereavement support agency or group as close to the vicinity of the person's residence as possible. In addition, email information and website information links guide the bereaved or caregivers to bereavement information and bereavement support groups.