Blog Posts
Where art and death meet – selecting an urn
This past week we’ve had a couple of conversations with members about where to keep the ashes of loved ones if they are not being scattered or kept in a columbarium or cremation niche. Many British Columbians choose basic no-frills cremation and the basic black plastic urn that comes along with it. But some families…
Read MorePlanning a Home Death – Five Simple Questions
With 916,000 baby boomers currently living in British Columbia coupled with most of us wanting to die in the comfortable and familiar surroundings of our own homes we have some planning to do! Now lets be clear dying at home is not for each and every one of us even though that may be our…
Read MoreThe Baby Boomers Ageing Out – How To Get Ready
The BC Care Providers Association released a report recently entitled “Bedlam in BC’s Continuing Care Sector – May 2019. It is an important piece of the research that points squarely at the demand Baby Boomers will be placing on an already overrun system of care. From our perspective here at the Memorial Society we see…
Read MoreThe Idea of Being All Ready to Go is the First Step
I was at the Zoomer Show this past weekend and met hundreds of people who took the time to stop by the Memorial Society of BC booth for a visit. Many said they loved the idea of our All Ready to Go Binder and that they would get right on it. And yes some may…
Read MoreConversations That Matter
Stu and I had a wonderful conversation about the importance of end of life planning. Here is the link to the show! Enjoy it and please do feel free to pass the link along. MSBC Staff Team
Read MoreOur Fear of Death is Paralyzing – Feel it and plan anyway!
When it comes to end of life preparations, being All Ready to Go, we here in North America, British Columbia more specifically are woefully under prepared! 17% of us have some degree of readiness when it comes to planning for our death – most of us do not. Our lack of planning is for the…
Read MoreOur First Christmas Without Jody – The Importance of Planning Together
Jody passed away May 5th, 1988 and I remember that first Christmas Season without her was looming large in front of me as if it were yesterday. I recall wondering what the heck we were going to do without her to celebrate one of her favorite times of the year. So, as a family, we…
Read MoreMedical Assistance In Dying – The Striking Oddness of It
To be sure I have no moral judgment around choosing or not choosing MAID, it is a most personal and intimate family conversation that needs to be undertaken with the support of the medical system. The resulting choice is that individual’s and that family’s right to make. Once the choice is made to proceed with…
Read MoreGentle Reminders… When the Time is Right.
We often witness friends or family members struggling to make important end of life choices just after a loved one has passed. All we can do in the moment is support them as they struggle to manage their emotions while making often-expensive decisions regarding funeral arrangements. Though it is not the right time in the…
Read MoreA Lovely Quotation About Grief
A dear friend of ours from Singapore sent me this quotation via Facebook today and it sure rings true for me. We thought it might serve some of our members and potential members to have a look at it; “Grief never ends… But it changes. It is a passage not a place to stay. Grief…
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