- This event has passed.
Disenfranchised Grief: Exploring the Importance of Spiritual Processing for Culturally Diverse Personal Support Workers in Canada
Session Info:
Exploring the often-overlooked grief experiences of culturally diverse PSWs in long-term care homes, this presentation contributes to filling a gap in grief research by centering the voices of PSWs and advocating for a cultural shift in long-term care—normalizing grief discussions, reducing stigma, and developing policies and practices that strengthen staff well-being, resilience, and retention. PSWs form close bonds with residents yet receive little recognition or structured support when residents die, underscoring the urgent need to explore the themes of: the invisible emotional burden of repeated loss, reliance on peer and spiritual coping strategies, the influence of cultural identity on grief expression, and the impact of unsupported grief on job satisfaction and retention. Grief needs to be acknowledged as part of PSWs’ professional reality, and for culturally and spiritually responsive supports to be implemented.
Speaker Bio:
KC Woilford is a registered Social Worker from Northern Ontario, currently completing a Master of Social Work with a specialization in Gerontology at Lakehead University. She also holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Work and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Gerontology, both with distinction. KC’s professional focus is in long-term care, palliative care, and dementia care, where she coaches Gentle Persuasive Approaches and has completed advanced certifications in cultural safety, dementia care, palliative care, and leadership.
Her research, supervised by Dr. Jo Ann Vis, examines disenfranchised grief among Personal Support Workers in long-term care, highlighting how unsupported grief impacts well-being, job satisfaction, and retention.
Deeply committed to culturally safe and person-centred care, KC acknowledges her work and learning take place on the traditional lands of Fort William First Nation, signatory to the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850. She aims to influence workplace culture and policy to better support frontline caregivers, reduce psychological injury, and strengthen resident care.