Let us help, Ageing is Everybody’s Business, Always

 You don’t need to be alone with your grief

The Bereavement Friendship Group is a free social group run by Healthy Generations and open to people aged 50+ living in Stoke-on-Trent or North Staffordshire.  Talking openly to others who have experienced bereavement can help reduce feelings of isolation which have been particularly difficult during Coronavirus restrictions and as Lockdown slowly comes to an end. To maintain safety, the group is currently meeting online. You can join in from a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone or you can dial in using your telephone.
The Bereavement Friendship Group provide information on coping with both the emotional and practical aspects of losing a relative or friend; a chance to chat to trained volunteers; and an opportunity to meet others in a similar situation.Grief has no time limit
When someone close dies we may grieve for them for a very long time. Even when we think we have finished with grieving something may remind us of our loss and bring back feelings of grief.  We recognise that grief has no time limit and we welcome people to our group regardless of how long ago the bereavment took place.

Your life after bereavement
Everything can seem more difficult following a bereavment.    Many people find that bereavment is not something they get over, it is something they learn to live with. Talking with others affected by bereavment can provide support to build a life around your loss.

Coronavirus
Many people who have been bereaved during the Covid-19 pandemic have suffered more due to the restrictions in place, such as not being allowed to visit loved ones in hospital, not being with them at their end of life, being limited when arranging funerals and having to grieve in isolation.
Experiencing a bereavement during the pandemic has affected people of all ages but particularly older people who are more likely to have lost someone close within their age group. They may have limited social contacts generally and may themselves have been subject to more restrictive social distancing or shielding due to their age or health needs.
As lockdown measures start to ease, some people who have been bereaved during the pandemic are finding it very difficult to establish new relationships and activities on their own and being able to talk to others about their feelings and anxieties can really help.  The Bereavement Freindship Group can help people start to build up a new life around their loss.

Share emotional support, talk about your experiences, access useful information
The Bereavement Friendship Group is a community based group developed on the basis of peer support. The groups create a social space for people to support each other from the comfort and safety of their own home.
Trained staff and volunteers will welcome people joining the groups and our Tech Buddies can provide any support needed to access our meetings online or by dialling in with a telephone.
Weekly online Bereavement Friendship Group meetings currently take place on Thursday mornings, please contact us for further details.
We are always keen to hear from volunteers who would like to help with this project, please use the contact details below or follow this link to our Volunteer Page
We look forward to welcoming you to the Bereavement Friendship Group.