St. Marys Public Library to host presentation on grief, loss and end-of-life awareness

Jayne Dill, registered nurse and death doula, at the Pyramid Recreation Centre.

By Alex Hunt

The St. Marys Public Library and London-based death doula/registered nurse Jayne Dill will collaborate to bring new awareness to grief education.

The Learning for Life: Grief & Loss with Jayne Dill event will run on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. at the Pyramid Recreation Centre. The free presentation will explore topics of grief coping mechanisms as well as end-of-life care support.

“I want people to leave with a better understanding of what grief is. It’s so individual; there’s no wrong way to do this,” said Dill. “As a Death Doula, I’ve supported people when they’re dying, and we go through what the goals of care are.”

With decades of nursing experience, Dill says that the system can do better when it comes to supporting individuals who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

“We’re expected to go back to work after four or five days. This is a process, and it’s a topic that’s not discussed because it’s uncomfortable,” said Dill. “As a society, we need to be more open to the concept of death because it’s something that we all experience.”

Library clerk and event facilitator Laura McAsh said she hopes the event will help make the topic more universally discussed and provide education to individuals unaware of the grief process.

On Feb.23, Dill will present a slideshow explaining how society navigates grief and loss. She encourages people to ask questions during the presentation, allowing the audience to lead themselves through topics they wish to discuss.

“I think it’s important to bring that awareness front and centre because when you believe you’re going to die, you live differently,” said Dill. “People are most present in the moment, and many of us don’t live that way. The thing with grief is that people need to be witnessed, acknowledged and validated.”

For more information about Dill, visit her website at londondeathdoula.ca.