Trust’s bereavement support groups praised for helping families to rebuild lives after loss
A group of women who attended bereavement support groups based at John Eastwood Hospice have praised Nottinghamshire Healthcare's Chaplaincy and Psychology teams for helping them navigate one of the most difficult periods of their lives. Following the loss of loved ones, the groups provided invaluable support, while also enabling participants to form lasting friendships and supportive connections.
Set up in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Trust's Chaplaincy and Psychology teams, who provide support at the Hospice, decided to run a bereavement group as they did not want there to be a lack of support for families once their loved one had died and wanted to continue to offer some support in the early days of bereavement.
Since then, the group has expanded to two and both have gone from strength to strength and have developed into the service offered today.
The 'Living with Loss' group is designed for people who are newly bereaved and would benefit from some time to discuss themes and areas in which grief impacts their life. The six-week course provides an unstructured safe space to meet others who are bereaved, share experiences, form peer-based support through new connections and friendships and access further emotional support from the Chaplaincy team.
The 'Coping with Grief' group is a more structured group, offering input from both our Chaplaincy and Psychology teams and is offered following completion of 'Living with Loss'. The six-week course explores ideas and strategies which can help after the loss of a loved one. Topics include understanding how we experience grief, coping with difficult emotions, relationship changes when grieving, spirituality and bereavement and other aspects of the grieving process.
Debbie Cowell was 62 when she lost her husband. She says the two bereavement courses she attended showed her that grief is different for everyone.
I was sceptical at first as I am a "shake your head and get on with it" type of person, explained Debbie. I have dealt with death in the past but only of older relatives. Losing the love of my life was different. I was heartbroken and inconsolable. My husband was only 65 and still holding down a full-time job.
The ladies in the bereavement group range from the age of 62 (me) to 82 and we were all so very different and at different stages of our lives. We worked through the different stages of grief, and I understood that there was no time limit, it was ok to be angry sad and even at times happy (which at the start I felt guilty about even smiling). I learned that for me the grief may never really go but the circle of coping grows, and it is ok to feel some days like you have gone backwards in your 'journey'.
The team made me realise that my life can go on - in a different way but all the same they made me appreciate that I do still have a future and my life is worth living.
Lisa Wood, Chaplain at the Trust who supports both courses, said:
Our groups are available to families whose loved ones were cared for as an inpatient at John Eastwood Hospice, through our Living Well team or by our community nurse specialists.
At the Hospice we form strong supportive relationships with not only our patients but their families too. The groups provide a safe space for families to express how they are coping, develop supportive relationships with others who are also bereaved, and learn practical coping strategies and techniques.
Debbie, added:
Nine ladies completed the course, and we have become firm friends. We call ourselves the John Eastwood Ladies and we meet regularly. We have even recently been on an amazing holiday together in Norfolk. We always say we are part of a club that no one really wanted to be in and, under different circumstances, we would never have been friends as our paths would not have crossed.
Thank you for bringing to me the best group of friends I think I have ever had. Through the counselling process we became a very tight knit group and were able to share our thoughts and feelings freely in a safe space.
This was so important to me as I didn't always want to share my inner thoughts with my family as they had their own grief to deal with too.
Thank you for helping us through a very difficult time. We hope that our story will encourage others that life can go on.
Amy Eagle, Care Group Director of Community Health and Specialist Services at Nottinghamshire Healthcare, said:
Bereavement affects everyone differently, and the loss of a loved one can have a profound impact on a person's life. We are incredibly proud of the dedication and care our Chaplaincy and Psychology teams provide to bereaved families across Nottinghamshire. Debbie's story demonstrates the positive difference these groups can make, providing a safe and supportive environment where people can share their experiences, learn coping strategies and connect with others facing similar challenges.
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