HSE Community Healthcare Dublin South, Kildare & West Wicklow today launches a new Bereavement Support Campaign. The new programme includes a 10 week online information campaign to profile and raise awareness of bereavement supports and services that are available to people living in Kildare and West Wicklow.
The Bereavement Support Campaign has been funded by the HSE under ‘Connecting for Life, Kildare and West Wicklow’ and will profile the work of national and local partner organisations including: Irish Hospice Foundation, in sync (KYS), Anam Cara, The Curragh FRC, the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network, HUGG, Barnardos and Turas Le Cheile.
The campaign has been developed by an inter-agency group comprising of the HSE Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention, in sync, Kildare CYPSC, Irish Hospice Foundation and the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network.
The first video, launched today, features Dr. Amanda Roberts, Bereavement Development discussing resources available to the community by the Irish Hospice Foundation. See video link: https://youtu.be/7CH9XjQN2js
in sync also feature in the campaign.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2_JbMLYXF0&ab_channel=KildareYouthServices
The information campaign aims to educate and inform the public about bereavement including self-care, supporting loved ones and what supports and services are available. HSE Community Healthcare Dublin South, Kildare & West Wicklow will work with partner organisations to focus on providing information around key areas of bereavement, including:
- Supporting Bereaved Parents
- Teenage grief
- Bereavement during Covid-19
- Supporting Families and Communities through Bereavement
- Suicide Bereavement: Talking to others with experience can help
- Children’s Grief
- Understanding and Coping with Grief and Loss
- What is Bereavement Care?
- Young people and grief: how counselling can help
- Suicide Bereavement
- Talking to your child about suicide
The campaign will feature on in synce, HSE and CYPSC’s social media channels. The social media campaign will feature various information resources including videos describing services and how to access them and resources to support individuals and communities in the aftermath of bereavement.
Ann O’Shea, Chief Officer Community Health Organisation HSE Dublin South, Kildare, West Wicklow said, “Dealing with the loss of a loved one, family member or friend is so very difficult and Covid-19 has made it so much worse. This campaign is about raising public awareness to our community about the supports and resources that are available to help them in these difficult times. Bereavement is a lonely and isolating time and given the restrictive times it is important, more than ever, that we can engage and inform our community that we are here to help. I would like to acknowledge the work of all the partners who are working to bring this together.”
Dr. Amanda Roberts, Bereavement Development Officer, The Irish Hospice Foundation commented: “Coping with the death of someone close is always difficult but the pandemic has made it harder. Whether it was a death through COVID-19 or from other causes, it has affected the traditional ways we mark our grief and has restricted access to our normal sources of support, our friends and family. It is important now more than ever, that we as a community, support each other and find new ways to reach out to people who have been bereaved and may be struggling. This campaign brings organisations together from across the county to raise awareness of bereavement – what we can do to help ourselves, ways to help others who are grieving and provides information about bereavement services for people who would like additional support.”
Niamh Crudden, Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention, Dublin South, Kildare & West Wicklow Community Healthcare stated: “Grief is expressed and felt in different ways and there is no right or wrong way to grieve. The need for enhanced supports for people who have been bereaved during COVID-19 has been articulated through a number of community networks and fora across Kildare and West Wicklow early in the pandemic. In response to this an inter-agency group comprising of the HSE Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention, Kildare Youth Services, Kildare CYPSC, Irish Hospice Foundation and the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network came together to develop a Bereavement Support Campaign for Kildare West Wicklow. Bereavement affects us all and we want to provide connection, comfort and support to those grieving in these exceptional times.”
