Library
Valley Hospice Foundation is developing a Grief Library. In 2024 we will build our initial collection, and we are already planning for future growth.
Our big bold vision for the future is a Library that sits at the heart of a strong grief and bereavement community in the Annapolis Valley. It will be a space that allows connection and personal growth, a collection that serves grievers in the province, and services that complement the work of other agencies such as NSH, NSHPCA, and grief and bereavement specialists in the region.
Ways to Give
To support other grievers and sustain the work of the Grief Library, we encourage donors to adopt a book for our collection or simply donate to the Valley Hospice Foundation.
Contact Us
We welcome you to get in touch with questions and comments: library@valleyhospice.ca The Annapolis Valley Palliative Care Program serves patients who have been diagnosed with a progressive, life threatening illness. Palliative care can start while there are still many months or years left to live. Phone: 902-542-6303 For Health Care Professionals For Health Care Professionals
Grief Websites
For adults to grieve at their own pace
How children grieve and how to support them
By grieving youth, for grieving youthGrief Podcasts
In this nine-episode series, American broadcaster Anderson Cooper starts recording while packing up the possessions of his late mother Gloria Vanderbilt. Going through her diaries and heirlooms, as well as items left behind by his father and brother, the CNN anchor takes listeners on a personal exploration of grief. In a succession of moving conversations with experts and celebrity friends, Cooper discusses loss, the things people leave behind and how to live on.
Described as a “grief support group in a podcast”, Good Mourning is two fun, slightly sweary mates – one Australian; the other a British expat – talking about loss. Hosts Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn share tips from doctors, scientists and family members on how to cope. The pair were brought together in what Carn describes as “really f— up circumstances” after losing their mothers during “that in between age” of adult life and finding they had few people to turn to. One for adulthood bereavement.
The Grief Gang is described as the gang “you never asked to be part of”. In this heart-warming podcast, host Amber Jeffrey speaks to a range of friends and experts to get to grips with their experiences of loss and how it affects them. Jeffrey created the podcast after her mother died of a sudden heart attack in 2016 when she was just 19. “Above all this show aims to provide you with hope,” she writes.
Host Cariad Lloyd describes this as “funny people talking about death and grief.” Expect candid, humorous and often deeply moving conversations between Lloyd, a comedian, and celebrity guests as they open up about loved ones they have lost. Lloyd set up Griefcast in 2016, drawing on the loss of her father to pancreatic cancer during her teens.
The Marie Curie charity produces its own award-nominated podcast dealing with grief that is well worth a listen. The show invites a host of well-known guests to open up and share their experiences of grief on the therapy couch with bereavement expert Jason Davidson – whose soothing tones have a way of getting people talking. Guests are also encouraged to share their end of life plans – which may be particularly useful for anyone preparing for a bereavement.
This is a podcast that breaks down taboos surrounding grief, starting with that oh so innocuous question: how are you? “It’s a question we ask (and get asked) all the time: ‘How are you?’ And normally we just respond with ‘Fine!’ even if we’re totally dying inside,” writes host Nora McInerny. In this podcast, McInerny, an American author, speaks to normal people about their experiences of loss in all its forms, be that bereavement, divorce or to do with their career. During these conversations, McInerny draws on her personal experience of miscarrying a child and losing both her father and husband to cancer within several weeks in 2014. “It’s sometimes sad, sometimes funny, and almost always both,” she writes about the show.
The last conversation you want to have shouldn’t be the last one you do have. The When You Die Project is here to facilitate a cultural dialogue most often avoided — one that begins at the end. We believe talking about death isn’t dangerous but, conversely, can nurture happier, healthier individuals and families who approach death informed, inspired and with a sense of humor. The podcast covers a wide range of death and dying topics from diverse perspectives.Group Support
Support for those grieving the death or approaching death of a loved one at no cost to participants. Twice a month sessions take place in Kentville, Berwick and Bridgetown. Contact Jennifer Longley at 902-681-8239 or friendsinbereavement@gmail.com
Meets at the New Hope Wesleyan Church, Mondays 7-9 pm. Please join us as we navigate the grief journey together.
Meets at Hantsport Baptist Church, Tuesdays 6:15-8:00 pm. To help you recover from the death of your loved one.
Get support through online information and discussion groupsPalliative Care
Information to help you understand palliative care services
People from different cultures share their traditions regarding palliative care and grief
Tools to assist you in a palliative approach to patient careAdvance Care Planning
Advance care planning – also called personal care planning – is the process of reflecting on what is important to you, to help you plan for your future medical and personal care. It can include an important tool called a personal directive, which makes your wishes known if you are not able to talk for yourself.
More information about personal directives and what is legally required
Instructions for creating your personal directive with a sample form
Information for Health Care Providers