New Support Service to Help Bereaved Relatives
May 20, 2011
Relatives experiencing the loss of a loved one at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice will soon have an extra arm of support, thanks to a unique service being launched by the charity this year.
A team of up to 10 Volunteer Support Workers is being recruited to help more isolated people during their bereavement by being there for them in a variety of everyday situations.
A VSW will visit bereaved relatives for up to a year to help them relearn tasks which may have been performed for many years by their deceased partner. It could be something as simple as getting to grips with doing the laundry or as potentially daunting as going out and making new friends.
Volunteer Support Workers will not perform the role of a home help or care worker, however, as the intention is to enable people to perform tasks for themselves and build confidence.
The team will be part of the Hospice’s Bereavement Service and will be co-ordinated by Zoe Mather, who has 12 years’ experience in social care services with older people.
Zoe said: “When a person’s partner has died the one left behind often feels that they have ‘lost their other half’. They suddenly have to start managing on their own at a time when they are really upset, they don’t feel able to make decisions and sometimes don’t know where to go for help.
“It can be very difficult for them to cope with even straightforward everyday jobs and they can often become isolated and ill. At Birmingham St Mary’s we realise that many people can be affected like this after a death in the family and we want to be able to offer support to people in this situation.”
Zoe added that the initiative had been made possible thanks to a grant of £31,000 from the Department of Health Volunteering Fund for Health and Social Care.
In 2010, the Hospice’s Bereavement Service supported more than 900 people, all of whom had a loved one who had received care through the Hospice.
Staff at Birmingham St Mary’s say that Volunteer Support Workers could offer valuable help when people need it most, soon after bereavement.
While it is well-known that people often become depressed, anxious or ill after someone close has died, there are currently no trained volunteers at the Hospice who can offer practical help as well as social support to people at home.
This means that around 40 people a year in Birmingham and Sandwell are missing out on vital support. However, the Volunteer Support Workers will fill a gap in the Hospice’s service.
For more than 12 years the Hospice has run the Chrysalis Group, a support group for bereaved relatives. The group’s members have welcomed the initiative.
Chrysalis group member Anne Flynn, who was recently bereaved after losing her husband, thought Volunteer Support Workers would have been a great help to her.
Anne said: "After my husband died I really needed help. I became afraid to leave the house without company. I was constantly giddy and was afraid of falling. I now know this was caused by the amount of stress I was experiencing.
“But if there had been someone there offering practical support in addition to emotional support, things might have been so much easier. Just to have someone there, even if was just to do something like walking to the shops, would have made all the difference.
"So I think introducing Volunteer Support Workers is a great idea, I'm sure they'll be greatly valued by the people they support in the coming months. It will help provide extra reassurance that what you're feeling when you're grieving is normal."
The volunteers will receive comprehensive training before starting their role. Their relationship with the relatives will expected to be temporary, as they will be helping them to become independent and will be required to move on to new cases.
The volunteers will need to have common sense, a rich and varied life experience, be practical and resourceful, able to use their initiative and must enjoy helping people. They will be making an immense contribution to people who use the Hospice, which cares for people with life-limiting illnesses across Birmingham and Sandwell.
To talk to someone about becoming a Volunteer Support Worker at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, please telephone Zoe Mather or Daphne Welch on 0121 472 1191. You can also find all the details on our website www.bsmh.org.uk.
Search our site
