For immediate release

Olive Branch program helps grieving families in Calgary

CALGARY, March 26 – Calgarians grieving the loss of a loved one have a new way of coping and finding peace.

McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes recently introduced Olive Branch Support Services, a unique outreach program that helps individuals, families and caregivers who are grieving a loss.

According to program co-ordinator Donna Devlin, Olive Branch recognizes that grief can take many forms and extends far longer than a funeral or memorial service.

"The idea behind Olive Branch is to provide families with additional support," says Devlin, an independent grief consultant. "It’s an extension of support and perspective that’s fundamental during times of grief. It’s about letting people know that there is hope; that there will be a time when the pain subsides."

The Olive Branch program, which is offered at no charge, stems from an outreach service McInnis & Holloway has offered since 1999 to professional and non-professional caregivers. "A Caregiver’s Life Well Lived" inservice was so well received that bookings were needed months in advance to get access to this program.Devlin notes that Olive Branch Support Services has four core areas of activity.

• Family Follow-up. Families served by McInnis & Holloway Funeral homes are contacted and offered a home visit by a Family Support Provider. Each family will also receive a customized resource package which addresses their specific loss and grief issues. When required, grieving families are also connected to other resources in the community.
  
• Support and Referral. For a period of time, grief consultants are made available to families served by McInnis & Holloway.
  
  
• Education. Upon request, Olive Branch is available for seminars to schools, civic groups, churches and caregivers. Seminar topics include Grief and the Holidays, Life After Loss, Child Grief and Customs and Traditions in Times of Bereavement.
  
  
• Grief Resources Library. Olive Branch makes a variety of publications and videos available to families and communities, including a free booklet series on the many aspects of grief.

This fall, McInnis & Holloway is introducing another Olive Branch educational service called "Grief in the Workplace." This inservice addresses the grief that can occur when a co-worker dies or experiences a loss.

"Grief assaults your whole body: physically, mentally, spirituality," says Devlin. "You’re depleted. It takes a lot of work to grieve."

She notes that unfortunately, many people believe that ‘keeping busy’ is a viable grief strategy. "I see people who three or four years later are still trying to make sense of their grief," says Devlin. "This usually happens when they don’t take time to stop and feel the pain. The problem with grief is that you can’t go around it, you must go through it."

Devlin, an educator and Registered Psychiatric Nurse, began her career in grief and trauma counselling following the devastating tornado that struck Edmonton in 1987.

"I think people grieve more in isolation now, because we’re a much more transient society. But with Olive Branch, you don’t have to do it alone."Olive Branch is the latest of several innovative services created by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes. Others include the "Caregiver’s Life Well Lived" inservice aimed at supporting professional and non-professional caregivers, as well as the popular Memorial Forest tree program, in which families memorialize loved ones through annual tree plantings.

For further information on Olive Branch Support Services, contact:

Donna Devlin

Co-ordinator, Olive Branch Support Services

McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes

403-243-8200

E-mail: olivebranch@ mcinnisandholloway.com

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