Extra support for bereaved families

CITY Hospice has significantly extended its bereavement support service to support even more families dealing with the loss of a loved one.

Previously a service dedicated to the relatives of the loved ones who had been cared for by the hospice and living within Cardiff, the service will now offer up to six free sessions to those recently bereaved and wishing to access expert counselling, regardless of if their loved one was cared for by the hospice or not.

It has also taken the extra step to provide this service to those within Bridgend and some postcodes in Rhondda Cynon Taf also.

The bereavement support services aim to help families cope with their feelings of grief and loss and includes face to face, zoom or telephone sessions with experienced, qualified counsellors. In normal times, the charity City Hospice also runs bereavement groups at its hospice centre in Whitchurch, Cardiff, where families can share their experiences and support one another.

In addition, the charity offers a free bereavement service for children affected by the death of a close family member such as a parent, sibling or grandparent, as well as coffee mornings throughout the year, although the coffee mornings have had to be paused at present due to the restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic. Bereavement can have a profound effect on those left behind, including feelings of shock, exhaustion, anger, isolation, and helplessness. Counselling has been shown to reduce the level of distress that mourners go through after the death of their loved one and can help them move through the phases of grief.

City Hospice needs to raise £2m a year to provide the level of care they offer. As Cardiff’s local hospice, the charity provides home-based specialist palliative care to 550 patients at any one time.

City Hospice provides nursing and essential care to people throughout the capital who are living with lifelimiting and terminal illness, such as cancer, dementia, motor neurone disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Liz Andrews, chief executive of City Hospice, said: “We are very proud to now offer our first-class bereavement services to the families of loved ones outside of our care, across Cardiff as well as the people of Bridgend and parts of Rhondda Cynon Taff.

“Our experienced councillors are able to offer support to those who are struggling and in need of support. We continue to receive excellent feedback from those accessing our bereavement services, and just hope that by this expansion of our service, we will be able to help even more families through what is often the most difficult time in their

lives.”