Colchester Bereavement Support Group, Nova Scotia, Canada

What Do I Do Now?
A Resource Guide for Persons Who Have
Experienced the Death of a Loved One
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
On December 4, 1990, the Emergency Department staff summoned me to provide support to a young mother whose husband had died unexpectedly from a fatal aneurysm. Lynn Yetman was faced with the shock and pain of her loss, but also to a series of decisions that required knowledge not readily available. "What do I tell my children?", How do I provide them with support?", What do I do now?". These were all challenges Lynn struggled with that afternoon. The days, weeks and months to follow were met with more questions and decisions regarding funeral, estate planning, banking, insurance, Canada Pension, children's coping, what is normal grieving, RCMP, grave sites, grave stones, dealing with extended families' grief, dealing with the silence of friends, dealing with the 'shoulds' of grieving and HOW AM I EVER GOING TO COPE!!
Lynn's crisis and experience became the motivating force to develop the Colchester Bereavement Support Group in 1993. Together, Lynn and I met men and women with a common message: the lack of practical help and information compounded the pain of their grief.
"What Do I Do Now? A Resource Guide for Persons Who Have Experienced the Death of a Loved One", will not take away the pain of the loss, but it will equip the bereaved person and their support network with a guide to help answer questions, or at least steer them in that direction. It is now the responsibility of physicians, nurses, social workers, pastoral care, funeral directors, lawyers and our community-at-large to ensure that bereaved persons are provided with the resource guide soon after a death.
On behalf of the Palliative Care Team and the Colchester Regional Hospital, I would like to thank Lynn Yetman, the Colchester Bereavement Support Group and the Community Health Promotion Fund for the development of this needed resource guide.
Ann McKim, B.Sc.N., R.N.
Palliative Care

Whst Do I Do Now? logo What Do I Do Now?
A Resource Guide for Persons Who Have
Experienced the Death of a Loved One
Table of Contents