Arbor Memorial Inc.
2 Jane Street M6S 4W8 Toronto, ON, Canada

Read how #ArborMemorial has shifted to meet the changing demands of the pandemic, and its prediction for funeral service trends when it ends via Toronto Sun.

On National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day, we are reminded to thank the professionals who consider every need during the most difficult time of a family's life. With professional guidance and compassion, they help with every step of the funeral process. Here's an interesting read on A Day in the Life of a Funeral Director. http://ow.ly/zLJi50DWEZy

Today, on the National Day of Observance, we honour those lost to COVID-19, and recognize the impact this global pandemic has had on Canadians’ lives. Thank you to our country’s health-care heroes and essential workers, including our staff, for their ongoing efforts.

"The death of a loved one is exceptionally tough, and the work we do supporting families through those hard times is unique. Being in the funeral and cemetery vocation is not a profession that people feel they need to recognize, despite their vital role." Read #ArborMemorial Chairman, President & CEO David Scanlan's piece in torontodotcom, recognizing the efforts of funeral and cemetery service professionals across Canada for their ongoing efforts during the pandemic. http://ow.ly/tr5d50DWna1

Like many industries, the norms for funeral homes and cemeteries turned upside-down overnight, forcing the industry to quickly adapt to meet the changing demands of the pandemic. Read how #ArborMemorial staff have provided families with innovative options for ceremonies that allow them to say goodbye in a meaningful way, while physically apart, via Hamilton Community News.

The resulting post death paperwork is often confusing. Even while grieving, loved ones and executors must deal with the practical and legal matters for the deceased. Here's an interesting read for you. http://ow.ly/2Zlv50DjZ4F

There is no correct way on how you cope with your loss on the special days like Family Day. Read how you can honour their memory. http://ow.ly/gxPp50DjRQK

Are you thinking of buying a gift for a friend that's grieving this Valentine's Day? Here are a few ideas you can choose from. http://ow.ly/GzYA50Dk2DA

xn nián kuài lè At Arbor Memorial, we take pride in our connection with Chinese Canadian communities whether in our workforce, or by creating final resting places that honour the culture and values of our families. Here is an article for you on Arbor’s Chinese Gardens. http://ow.ly/VeH250DjRhq

Needless to say, the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has been a challenging time for everyone. But if someone you love has died, it is likely that the current social distancing orders and travel restrictions are making funeral planning especially difficult for your family. Here are some thoughts for the families. http://ow.ly/N0vD50Dj6iY

Grief is a process, not an event. Here is a beautiful story from Humans of New York about how being supportive at the time of grief can truly impact someone's rest of the life. http://ow.ly/XFZJ50ChZc6

By pre-planning your final arrangements, you can determine your own budget and reduce the risk of your grieving loved ones spending more than necessary. Read more here. http://ow.ly/nCG250Ci0Ib

Every Canadian deserves the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones. For many months, Canadians have seen and heard many heartbreaking stories of families who were not able to say a proper goodbye to loved ones who passed away during the pandemic. Arbor is proud to be sponsoring the CHPCA Saying Goodbye Virtual Concert on November 15 at 7:00 PM EST. ... For more information: https://www.chpca.ca/sayinggoodbyeconcert/ #Sponsor #CHPCA #SayingGoodByeConcert

Just like you plan for retirement or revisit your Will, pre-planning final arrangements is an important, yet often overlooked way to ensure you’ve taken care of family. This week, we will be sharing some WHYs to preplan. ____________________________________________________ Tout comme vous prévoyez de prendre votre retraite ou de revoir votre testament, la planification préalable des arrangements définitifs est un moyen important, mais souvent négligé, de vous assurer que vous avez pris soin de votre famille. Cette semaine, nous partagerons quelques POURQUOI à préplanifier.

En publiant un avis de décès en ligne, les familles ont d’autres occasions de partager des renseignements au sujet de leur proche. Les photos, les moments spéciaux et le vécu de la personne peuvent être centralisés dans un livre de visiteurs, qui permet également aux gens de transmettre des condoléances en ligne. Cela peut aussi représenter une commémoration permanente que la famille peut revisiter occasionnellement pour lire les messages. Bon nombre de livres de visiteurs en ligne permettant aussi aux invités de publier une photo pour accompagner leurs condoléances. Vous trouverez ci-dessous des conseils pour la rédaction d’un message de sympathies et de soutien.

Hey Canada! October 31 is fast approaching, have you entered our $10,000 Arbor Memorial Contest? Complete a quick survey for a chance to win: http://ow.ly/YCOk50BDxEu... Survey code is: 20052020 The Contest is open to all legal residents of Canada. Contest closes October 31, 2020 at 11:59 pm EST and the winner will be chosen on November 18, 2020. Full contest rules can be found here: http://ow.ly/WgcC50BDxEt

As a member of the community, we at Arbor Memorial understand the importance of maintaining a strong connection with our neighbours. We proudly support organizations, events, and initiatives that promote community values in all the locations in which we serve. Most recently, Samantha Stokotelny and Jeff Ralph from our Dodsworth & Brown Funeral Homes donated their time serving the homeless and street involved people of Hamilton in support of The Hope Project. This grassroots ...project was started 7 years ago by Jeff's brother, Paster Doug Ralph of Garside Bible Church. Every Thursday, rain or shine, meals are prepared and served to people in need. Thank you Samantha and Jeff for supporting a great cause in your community.

Today is the day! Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association's Saying Goodbye virtual concert is airing today at 7:00 EST. We can't wait to see John McDermott, Tara Shannon, Alan Doyle, George Canyon, Gowan, Rose McKenzie, Florent Vollant (Indigenous & French), Keelin Wedge, Shari Ulrich, Eileen Laverty Music and Ray Legere perform. ... Every Canadian deserves the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones. Link to view the concert (will go live at 7:00 PM EST) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bppPNIvrxZw #Sponsor #CHPCA #SayingGoodByeConcert

Publishing an online obituary allows a family more opportunities to share about their loved one. Photos, special moments and a life story can all be centralized in the guestbook, as well as allowing for digital condolences. It can also act as a permanent memorial that the family can revisit on occasion to re-read some of the messages left by other family members and friends. Many online guestbooks also offer the opportunity for guests to share a photo along with the condolence. Below are some tips to help you craft your message of sympathy and support.

Social Media can play an important part in the healing process in many individuals who are dealing with grief; especially during the pandemic. Annie Horton has created emerging.grief, an Instagram account aimed at providing bereavement support in an online community setting. She's shared her own stories of loss, including the death of her brother-in-law Nick Cordero. http://ow.ly/IMW950CbwrM

Here are a few suggestions from Dr. Bill Webster on Self Care for Caregivers: Set aside some quality time every day to look after your own needs. Try to eat regularly, even if you don’t feel hungry. Healthy foods, rather than fast food or snacks, will help to keep your system going.... Drink lots of fluids like water or juice to help prevent dehydration. Limit your caffeine intake, especially coffee, tea, chocolate or soft drinks, which may only make you feel more stressed. Try to get periods of rest and sleep. There are many strategies which can assist relaxation, but if sleep is still difficult, speak to your family doctor. Try to slow down. Take periods of time to stop, think and process your feelings in order to calm the confusion within. Try to do something for yourself everyday. Take time out to go out for a meal, see a movie, play golf, or even go for a walk or visit friends. Try not to feel guilty about taking a break from the responsibility of caring for your loved one. Let someone else take over from you for an evening or even a weekend. Work through your feelings. You may feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster, up one day and down the next. Your feelings are an expression of your inner turmoil, so let yourself feel them and try to figure out what they are teaching you. Ask for and accept other people’s offers to help. Let your employer and your co-workers know what is going on in your life. Speak to your doctor if you need to arrange for time off, or a leave of absence, or a lighter workload. Above all, give yourself constant encouragement and positive feedback. Just because you are unable to fix the problem does not mean that what you are doing is not significant and successful. You are doing your very best in an impossible situation.

Our Dodsworth & Brown Funeral Home - Ancaster Chapel recently created Coffee and Conversation Corner in front of their location. It is complete with sanitizer and custom Arbor chairs allowing the community to sit, relax and have a coffee. It has created a little buzz as people walk by and read the sign and several people have been able to enjoy the space safely. What a great idea for your community, Dodsworth & Brown Ancaster.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians remember. #lestweforget2020 #rememberthefallen

It's time to order your Winter Wreaths. Please reach out to your branch to place your order for your loved one. https://bit.ly/3llEaoQ

We can't wait to see Tara Shannon, award winning singer and songwriter from Russell, ON perform during the CHPCA Saying Goodbye Concert on November 15. For more information: https://www.chpca.ca/sayinggoodbyeconcert/ #Sponsor #CHPCA #SayingGoodByeConcert

Whether you are celebrating virtually or in person, we wish you and your family a happy and safe Thanksgiving .. . Gobble, Gobble!

Today is World Mental Health Day. It comes at a time when our lives were interrupted by COVID-19 and the challenges that it has brought to all of us. It has been an especially stressful time for anyone who has struggled with the grief of losing a loved lone during the pandemic. Although, there are restrictions in place to keep us all safe, please know that we are still here. All families that have been served by Arbor in the past or present are encouraged to take advantage... of our ArborCare Bereavement Assistance Program. Please reach out to your nearest Arbor funeral home location to request access as well as learn about additional resources that may be available to help you and your loved ones. We are in this together.

The following article shares 5 changes that you might go through in the ongoing cycle of grief and loss. http://ow.ly/zGyW50BDymm

La nouvelle normalité? Rédigé par : Laura Van Sprang, gestionnaire, Sands Funeral Chapel Victoria Voilà une expression que nous entendons de plus en plus chaque jour pendant que nous tentons de nous adapter à cette pandémie. Mettons-nous tout en œuvre pour rester en sécurité? Relâchons-nous trop notre vigilance? Quand pourrons-nous voyager et visiter des gens qui habitent loin? Les familles sont confrontées à de nombreuses nouvelles façons de faire les choses et doivent déte...rminer comment composer avec la situation et trouver la joie dans ce monde nouveau. Pouvons-nous voir nos amis? Retourner au travail? Aller à l’école? Organiser des rassemblements? Combien et comment? Sommes-nous en sécurité? Quelle période stressante pour nous tous! Pendant une période aussi complexe et changeante, il y a de nombreuses choses qui sont hors de notre contrôle, des choses que nous ne pouvons pas reporter à une période moins pénible ou mettre en veilleuse jusqu’à ce que nous puissions obtenir le soutien nécessaire. Je parle bien entendu du décès, de la perte d’un être un cher. Les membres de la profession funéraire ont été durement touchés par la COVID et travaillent jour et nuit pour trouver des façons d’aider les membres de la communauté qui ont perdu un proche. Nos spécialistes dûment formés passent du temps avec chaque famille pour leur permettre de s’exprimer et les aider pendant les très difficiles premiers jours du deuil. Nous sommes toujours en mesure d’organiser des services intimes regroupant un petit nombre de personnes et de les diffuser en direct pour ceux qui ne peuvent pas y assister. Nous non plus ne sommes pas accoutumés aux masques et aux distances que nous devons garder entre nous et ceux que nous voulons réconforter. Cela dit, nous sommes quand même là pour vous appuyer, vous écouter et vous aider. Nous sommes tous unis dans cette épreuve, anxieux de savoir quand tout reviendra à la normale, comme avant.

The New Normal? Written by: Laura Van Sprang, Manager at Sands Funeral Chapel Victoria This is a statement we are hearing more & more each day as time passes while trying to navigate our lives during this pandemic. Are we doing everything we can to stay safe? Are we becoming too relaxed? When will we be able to travel & visit people farther away? Families are faced with so many new ways of doing things & figuring out how to cope & find joy in this new world. How stressful of... a time for us all. During such a complicated & ever changing time there are still some things that are out of our control. Things we are unable to put off until a less already trying time, or postpone until we can have the community support we will need. I am speaking about death & losing someone you love during this time. The funeral profession has also been impacted extremely hard because of COVID and have worked around the clock to figure out ways to assist our bereaved community members who have had a significant loss during this time. Our trained funeral professionals take time with each family to ensure all their wishes are expressed & they are guided through the very difficult first days of their grief. We are still able to gather safely in smaller numbers for an intimate service and livestream to those who cannot attend. We too, are not used to masks & the distance we must keep between each other and those we want to comfort, but we are still here to support you, listen & assist. No matter what happens in the uncertain future, we want you to know that we will do everything we can to ensure you & your family are cared for when someone you love passes away. We will continue to work hard to adhere to the health guidelines and keep our buildings, teams & communities safe. We will keep finding new ways to bring the support to those in need & promise there will always be someone to answer your call if and when the time comes, no matter what the new normal looks like.

Hey Canada! Have you entered our $10,000 Arbor Memorial Contest? Complete a quick survey for a chance to win: http://ow.ly/YCOk50BDxEu... Survey code is: 20052020 The Contest is open to all legal residents of Canada. Contest closes October 31, 2020 at 11:59 pm EST and the winner will be chosen on November 18, 2020. Full contest rules can be found here: http://ow.ly/WgcC50BDxEt

October 1 is a day for all Canadians to celebrate the achievements and contributions of older adults across the country. From all of us at Arbor, we thank Canada’s seniors for all they have done and continue to do for their families and communities. Resources for Canadian Seniors : https://www.canada.ca//employment-social-development/campa... #NationalSeniorsDay #NationalSeniorsDay2020