Grief is actually the beginning part of mourning, but a strong support system is needed in the mourning process also, which could last for years, and even lifelong. ---US psychologist David Fireman

 Description of the topic  Explore resources available to the South Asian community  Purpose of the research  Background  Barriers  The vulnerable

 Grief and bereavement differs from culture to culture  Men, women, children grieve differently  Children are “forgotten mourners”  Support system is important  Taboos  Customs and rituals

 Research-backed with evidence  Help identify the needs of the population  Identify the barriers  Policy implications  Language barriers  Social change

 South Asian immigrant community  Death and dying still a taboo  Support system in home countries  Keeps children away from mourning  Housewives not connected with support  Taking the dead home  The financial factor

 Peel is more racially diverse than Ontario and Canada  38.5 per cent is visible minorities  The largest group of visible minorities is South Asian (155,055)  Number of foreign-born people moving into Ontario continues to rise  Going up from 23.7 per cent in 1991 to 25.6 per cent in 1996 to 26.8 per cent in 2001  This population makes up for the 28.9 per cent of Ontario’s visible minority (Census, 2006)

All age groups 0 to 1415 to to to to and older South Asian in Ontario 126, , % 181,410424, % 260,97561, % 28,865  Support comes from the elders  Elder population considerably less  The new immigrants form the major part  Children make one quarter, but considered “forgotten mourners”

CanadaOntario Muslim579,640352,530 Hindu297,200217,555 Sikh278,410104,785  Ontario is the most frequent destination  Muslim, Hindu and Sikh form the top three religions  No community-specific hospices  Little bereavement support, huge barriers

 Seen families emotionally disturbed  No resources  Family support is in home country  Few religious places  Lack of support system  Lack of awareness  Lack of spiritual support  Financial aspects  Language barriers  Asking for help a taboo

 Children do certainly worry about death  Children are excluded from the grieving process  Adults may not feel comfortable dealing with children’s sadness  Myth: Time is a big healer

 Talk about the significance of bereavement support groups.  Support groups are dynamic, effective tools for meeting the special needs of bereaved children

 Illness and suffering are viewed as God’s will and a test of faith  There is a struggle to reconcile present suffering with the promise of a good afterlife  Despair and anger are seen as spiritual deficits

 Teaching kids through the metaphor of visual arts  Story, film and drama  Through puppets  Stirring situations evoke in them a rich source of insight, catharsis, and self- discovery

 There are different ways of grieving in different cultures and religions  No mention of the support and resources  Bereavement and hospice is a new concept  Bereavement support groups run counter to general practice

 When children grieve --Book by J.W. Friedman  Bereaved children and teens: A support guide --Book by M. Schreder  The forgotten mourners --Book by S.C. Smith  Cross-Cultural aspects of bereavement --(Research report)  Grief: Counseling and recovery --Article by D. Fireman  Bereavement in Childhood --(Research report)

 Grief walker --A documentary by National Film Board of Canada  Bereavement support at Heart House Hospice -- Training manual  An individual in palliative care -- Interview  The Small Creature --An animated story for bereaved children  Bereavement support group for South Asian immigrants -- Pilot project

 A child in bereavement meets an angel (Please see the attached file named “kid questions”)

 The community needs additional resources  In line with Culture practices, religion and beliefs  Bereavement support groups  Puppet therapy for children  Barriers including language  Spiritual support

 Children are the “forgotten mourners”  Grief can come back anytime  No resources for those whose loved ones die outside Canada  Literature of death and dying not available in different languages  Always knew it was an issue  The scale of the issue turned out to be huge  I started volunteer work in a hospice  Trained in aromatherapy and reiki, which relaxes those in palliative care

 Death and dying area needs to be explored in depth  Advocate for more resources  Educate and empower clients in bereavement  Use active listening skills to be there for them  Validate and reflect feelings  Start school programs for South Asian families  Advocate for books and brochures in different languages

 Statistics, interviews, needs assessment all indicate a social change is needed  (Please refer to another power point presentation, named the diary of a child in bereavement)