THUNDER BAY — Hospice Northwest has launched a trial of a new grief and bereavement program designed for Indigenous people.
Called Gashkendamide'e (Grief from the Heart), a model was developed over the past eight months in consultation with an Indigenous advisory committee to ensure it is culturally sensitive.
Hospice Northwest says the goal of the project is to create a safe, therapeutic environment representing the strengths of both Western and Indigenous teachings, to facilitate the healing process for people experiencing grief.
Workshops will be delivered on two platforms – either a full-day session or two hours a day for a period of six weeks, depending on where they take place and in which community.
Cherie Kok, the executive director of Hospice Northwest, said the one-day workshop will be suitable for remote communities, where a six-week program might not be practical.
The longer workshops are more likely to take place in bigger centres.
Kok said a $75,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation allowed the organization to convene the advisory committee, conduct research, consult focus groups and do interviews to prepare for the first workshop, which was held Tuesday in Thunder Bay.
"We'll take feedback from today's session, from the participants and from the facilitators, to see what worked and what didn't, so that we are able to implement, going forward, exactly what is needed and wanted from the Indigenous community," Kok said.
The six-week program will be tried out in the fall.
Hospice Northwest has operated in Thunder Bay since 1987.
It is a community volunteer organization that complements and delivers end -of-life care, including grief and bereavement services.
