Tag: loss

A Christmas Memory Tree at Inverleith St. Serf’s Church

Memory Tree:- December 14th -27th December

A Christmas Tree will be placed in the church garden offering individuals an opportunity to hang a wooden heart in memory of their loved one. The hearts can be hung upon the tree at any time during the above dates.

Collection of Wooden hearts:

These will be available for collection from the Church Centre on Friday 11th December, 1-30-3.30pm & on Saturday 12th December, 10am-12 noon.

Please take the heart home to write your message using a permanent marker. You may find it helpful to take a photo of the heart on the tree. This allows you to share the photo with members of your family.

Hanging & Removing the Wooden Hearts:

Please use hand sanitiser before and after hanging the wooden heart. This helps us to ensure good hand hygiene procedures.

The tree will be dismantled on 28th December and all wooden hearts will be disposed of, unless collected prior to this date.

Virtual Service: Wed. 16th December, 7pm

A recorded service will be uploaded to Inverleith St. Serf’s FB page. You are invited to join us in this collective worship opportunity as we give thanks and remember our loved ones.

BPS advice on supporting each other at work following the death of a colleague

Grief at any time is difficult and painful and even under normal circumstances the death of a colleague can be challenging and represent a significant loss.

The realities of Covid-19 means that there are additional challenges for people mourning the death of a colleague due to the lack of access to support from friends, family and colleagues.

The British Psychological Society’s Covid-19 bereavement task force has launched a new document, ‘Supporting each other following the death of a colleague’, to help people understand their feelings and reaction if they do lose a colleague during this time.

Professor Nichola Rooney, chair of the task force, said: “Sadly, many people have been bereaved during the Covid-19 pandemic, with some grieving the death of a colleague.

“We spend a lot of time at work and often form close bonds with people we work with, so losing a colleague at a time when we may not have our usual support networks can be particularly difficult.”

The booklet gives advice on how to cope with returning to work following the death of a colleague and encourages employees to take advantage of the support that is available to them and allowing for the fact that work may be affected by the grieving process.

It encourages people to take the opportunity to consider marking the death through a memorial at either at work or at home, if that is someone’s current workplace, but also to plan for other remembrance activities in the future once the current crisis abates.

The guidance is part of a suite of resources produced by the BPS’s Covid-19 bereavement task force, aimed at helping people manage their grief during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Supporting each other following the death of a colleague

Psychologists offer advice on alternative ways to remember loved ones

The current pandemic has highlighted the importance of family and friends being able to mark the passing of loved ones, even if we can’t say goodbye in more traditional ways.

The British Psychological Society’s Covid-19 bereavement task force has released a new online leaflet, Continuing Bonds, which suggests alternative ways to help us remember friends and family who die due to the pandemic.

Funerals are currently disrupted, with the number of attendees limited in many cases due to the social distancing restrictions put in place to control the spread of the virus.

It is still important for the grieving process that we are able to mark someone’s passing, particularly if a regular funeral is not possible, and the leaflet gives six suggestions.

They include simple gestures like lighting a candle or planting a seed, alongside ways to make a lasting tribute, such as a virtual memorial, Facebook page or memory box.

Professor Nichola Rooney, chair of the BPS’s Covid-19 bereavement task force, said: “Sadly many more people than normal are experiencing bereavement right now, and the emotional effects of this are exacerbated by us being unable to see friends and family, or have funerals in the way that we normally do.

“It’s crucial that we are able to mark the time of someone’s passing, and I hope that these straightforward suggestions help people to do that, even if it is an interim solution until larger gatherings and memorial services are possible.”

Continuing Bonds is the latest in a suite of resources produced by the BPS’s Covid-19 bereavement task force, all of which can be viewed on our website.

Supporting each other through loss and bereavement

The British Psychological Society has published a document on helping one another to cope with death and grief, at a time when many people are experiencing the loss of a friend or family member due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It has also released two videos, offering advice on using technology to speak to loved ones who are ill and planning your digital legacy.

Losing a loved one under any circumstances is one of the most difficult emotional experiences that we go through, and it can be even tougher at a time when we have to self-isolate and socially distance from friends and family.

The leaflet ‘Supporting yourself and others: coping with death and grief during the Covid-19 pandemic’ explains the thoughts and feelings that people are likely to experience after a loved one dies, and the changes in behaviour that may result.

It discusses how people can cope with bereavement, acknowledging that everyone deals with loss in their own way, and gives tips on what can help, including:

  • Using digital technology to keep in touch with friends and family
  • Allowing themselves time and space to grieve
  • Not rushing into decisions about possessions and personal effects
  • Trying to stick to a healthy diet and engage in some form of exercise

Straightforward advice is also available for people who are supporting a loved one through their grief.

Measures to contain the spread of Coronavirus mean that many people are unable to say goodbye in person, so the BPS has also produced a video explaining how we can use technology to talk to ill loved ones who we are unable to visit.

It launches alongside a video on digital legacy planning, as many of us store practically important and sentimentally valuable information using technological devices.

If important material is stored on password-protected devices, it’s important for people to make sure that their families are able to access material should the worst happen.

Dr Elaine Kasket, a counselling psychologist and member of the BPS’s Covid-19 bereavement task force that has produced all three resources, presents both videos.

Supporting yourself and others

Funeral directors launch free emotional support helpline

Losing a loved one is one of the hardest experiences anyone could face, but during this period of social distancing, families are facing additional anxiety over not being able to say their goodbyes. 

Charity–run funeral directors Caledonia Cremation has responded to the crisis by launching a dedicated emotional support line for anyone anywhere in Scotland who has just lost a parent, child, sibling or partner. 

“We promise that if we can help even a little we will do everything we can,” said John Halliday, co-founder of Caledonia Cremation.  

The service launched followed their concerns for people’s wellbeing after conversations with families who lost loved ones to Covid-19. This was subsequently part-funded by a new grant from Foundation Scotland from their Response Fund meaning that the helpline can employ a reained pyschtherapist who can provide much needed support during these unprecedented times. 

Caledonia Cremation was set up in 2018 by the charity Community Renewal to fight funeral poverty in Scotland and is the only not-for-profit funeral directors in the country. They offer not-for-profit cremations to anyone in mainland Scotland and since they began, they have saved bereaved Scottish families nearly £1million in funeral costs.

John Halliday explained why they took their decision to launch this emotional support helpline: 

“We heard from one family whose grandfather died in intensive care last week. They were unable to visit him and upon his passing there was no wake and they were unable to attend his funeral. We offered all the support we could but we felt we needed to do more to help others.

“As a charity–owned social enterprise, our priority is first and foremost to support people in Scotland. Up until now that has been by providing dignified, caring, not–for profit funerals which don’t push families into funeral debt.

“We have always provided a caring service, but these are unprecedented times and we felt we needed to increase our capacity to provide emotional support – even if that person hasn’t used our services.

“We are grateful for the funding from Foundation Scotland as it has allowed us to employ a highly experienced counsellor and psychotherapist. This frees up the rest of the team who are working hard online and by phone, advising clients on how they can still say their goodbyes in this period of social distancing and helping people in poverty to claim funeral benefits.

“We always said it was important that there was a not-for-profit funeral director like us, someone who genuinely does not profit a penny from a loss. This is something we can do to really give back to society with everything we have got while also bringing prices down. 

“Grieving people need support right now, and they can trust us to put their care first.”

The service is now up and running so anyone who needs help, please do get in touch by calling 03000 11 33 01.

Bereaved participants wanted for world’s first study into how funerals aid the grieving process

A national study, which is a world first, is aiming to find out whether it’s possible to measure the importance of a funeral in the grieving process – and anyone who has organised or attended a funeral at any time is being urged to participate. Continue reading Bereaved participants wanted for world’s first study into how funerals aid the grieving process