Final Arrangements

JUNE 2014 • PAGE 10 a r r a n g e m e n t s Everlasting Memorials Serving youfor21years •CustomGraniteMemorials •GraveCovers •Monuments&Benches •FreeIn-HomeConsultation TollFree 1-888-407-2401 Fax204-336-2031 4470MAINST.WINNIPEG www.everlastingmemorials.com LifetimeWarranty Granite&Bronze Memorials WILL&ESTATELAWYERS OFWINNIPEG 246St.Anne'sRd., Winnipeg,MBR2M3A4 200-99ScurfieldBlvd., Winnipeg,MBR3Y1Y1 207-2211M c PhillipsSt. Winnipeg,MBR2V3M5 204-989-4236 DAVIDG.VINCENT TANISB.JURY IF YOU ARE A SENIOR ... Youshouldensurethatyouhavethefollowinginplace: Will •The Executor - the person who will administer your Will and Estate; make decisions on your behalf; file appropriate tax returns; protect and preserve your assetsandfollowyourwishes. •The beneficiaries - this includes making special provisionsforbeneficiarieswithspecialneeds. •Handlingyourfuneralandburialarrangements. PowerofAttorney Youmaybecomeincapacitatedand/orunabletomanage your affairs personally. Without a designated Power of Attorney,thePublicTrusteecanassumecontrol ofyour assetsandadministeryouraffairs.Alternatively,someone elsecanapplytothecourttoobtaincontrol,butthismay provetobealengthyandcostlyprocedure. HealthCareDirective(LivingWill) Wecanhelpyouremovetheburdenandthepressure fromyourlovedonesofhavingtoguessyourwishes bypreparingadocumentthatwillenabletreatment decisionstobebasedonyourhealthcaredirectives. StandardFees* Seniors LastWillandTestament $175.00 $150.00 PowerofAttorney $125.00 $100.00 HealthCareDirective $75.00 $50.00 HomeVisit-Extrachargeof$125.00 *plusGST&PST-ratesarebasedperperson By Jennifer McFee For the Free Press g rief is often a lonely and isolating emotion, but the bereaved can seek solace in the fact that they are not alone in the experience. At Cropo Funeral Chapel, free monthly seminars are available to help people deal with the loss of a loved one. Held in conjunction with Hospice and Palliative Care Manitoba, the seminars are scheduled for 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month at 1442 Main St. Cropo co-owner Karen Leggat says the initiative began seven years ago. Since then, about 25 to 30 people meet for each monthly session. "It's a chance for people to come together to listen to a speaker. We have various topics that resonate with most people experiencing grief. We also sometimes have people who share personal stories of their grief journey," she says. "It can be such an isolating experience. At Cropo, we know that when people come in for the funeral service, there are lots of family and friends around at that time. But after the funeral is over and the casseroles stop coming, that's when the shock starts to wear off and people really start to feel alone. It's difficult to deal with grief at that time." So far this year, seminar topics have included Is My Grief Normal? and the Roller Coaster of Grief. Other topics have touched on family dynamics in grief, maintaining health through grief and rituals in loss. To help them cope with their situation, many people attend sessions on a regular basis, Leggat notes. "We even have some people coming back a couple of years after somebody has died because they feel like they need a place to share and to be with others. Sometimes people start up their own friendships amongst other people in the group, so that's a nice way to connect in between the grief seminars as well," she says. "There is also some time for people to have coffee and talk with one another. That can be just as helpful as the speakers themselves. But it's also nice for a speaker to come in because then people don't have to share if they prefer not to. They can just sit and listen. It's a non-intimidating forum where they can just be with others who might be experiencing the same thing." In addition to offering grief seminars, Cropo follows up with families after each funeral to see how they are managing. As well, they host an annual memorial service in early December to remember loved ones during the holiday season. "Grief is a journey that is travelled by everyone in their lifetime. It's OK to ask for support and it's OK to take your time with your grief. It's something that you may learn to live with, but it's not something that you'll ever have real closure with. It's a life-altering event, and it's something that will change you forever," Leggat says. "My advice is to be patient and take care of yourself. Do your best to try to eat well and try to sleep, if you can. Get outside and keep one foot moving in front of the other until you start to feel a little better. It's a long process." To help with the journey, Shaarey Zedek also offers grief services to those mourning a loss. Life cycle director Estelle Raber says daily services are held at 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. to recite kaddish, a memorial prayer for loved ones. "It gives them a gathering of other people who are also having the same experience, so they make friendships," Raber says. "It's for memorializing the people who have passed away in the past, as well as the current ones." Grief counselling services are available to the general public through Jewish Child and Family Services, she adds. One upcoming program focuses on families, while another is specifically geared to grandparents who have lost grandchildren. For Rabbi Alan Green, the funeral service is another essential way to provide comfort to grieving families. "The Jewish custom is to participate in the burial by placing earth on top of the coffin. That's something that everyone is invited to participate in," Green says. "As tough as it is, it brings comfort in the long run because you're able to be close one more time to that person who's passed away. It's a way of saying goodbye for the final time." Eventually, everybody will experience the loss of a loved one, and grief services can provide much-needed support. "The thing is, it's inescapable," he says. "It happens to every one of us, first vicariously and then to us personally. Mortality is part of the deal here." Cropo Funeral Chapel co-owner Karen Leggat and vice-president Douglas Maughan (left), and Shaarey Zedek Rabbi Alan Green and life cycle director Estelle Raber (above). Photos by Darcy Finley sharing grief EAsEs PAiN OF lOss

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