Bereavement Support
Most people expect to be very upset or distressed when someone close to them has died. What takes many people by surprise is how strong the emotions can be, how they can change very quickly, and how long they last.
People around you may seem to think you should be ‘back to normal’ after a few weeks or months. You might appear to be your usual self to other people, but you know that on the inside, you’re not even sure what normal is anymore.
Everyone grieves in a way that is unique to them and their relationship with the person who has died. Well-intentioned people may say to you, ‘time is a great healer.’ Sometimes, however, it can seem that life is more difficult as the weeks and months go by.
When someone we care about dies it is normal to grieve. Grief affects us all differently and we may experience a variety of emotions and feelings that range from:
- intense longing for the person who has died.
- numbness
- bouts of crying or perhaps being unable to cry at all.
- guilt about things we did or didn’t do when the person was alive.
- difficulty concentrating
- being forgetful
- difficulty sleeping
- loss of appetite
- You may also become very tired as you find yourself having to deal with tasks that are new and unfamiliar to you that are connected to losing a loved one.
There is no right or wrong way to grieve. Please remember we all grieve in our own way.
We would like to extend our care to offer support to all our families if they need it. We have listed a wide range of support options below, including SAIF Care and other bereavement support links. SAIF Care is offered by SAIF – the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors and is available free to all of our clients. We offer the SAIF Care service because we know that no-one can understand exactly what your loss feels like to you. But we do understand that it’s sometimes easier to talk to someone outside of your friends and family about grief and the impact of bereavement on your life.
SAIF Care bereavement support provides a range of services to bereaved people over the age of 18. There is also the option for referral into counselling by telephone, webcam or face to face in your local area by skilled and qualified bereavement counsellors*. (*Fees may apply for this service) Other options below will be more appropriate to Children and young people.
SAIFCare can help in various ways:
Freephone helpline on 0800 917 7224 which is open from 9am-9pm, Monday-Friday.
Friendly, supportive helpline staff who are available to offer information, advice and a listening ear.
Email support and information at help@saifcare.org.uk.
Free online webchat SAIF Chat. 
The following other services are also highly recommended. Find what works for you…
General Breavement
Tel:0800 634 9494
Loss of a Child and Child Bereavement Support
(Cruse for young people)
Loss of a Partner
Sudden Deaths
The following other services are also highly recommended. Find what works for you…
General Breavement
Tel:0800 634 9494
Loss of a Child and Child Bereavement Support
(Cruse for young people)
Loss of a Partner
Sudden Deaths
Funeral Associations
