Bereavement Support Service

Age Concern Birmingham in partnership with Birmingham City Council is delivering the Bereavement Support Service to assist the bereaved with practical support as well as acting as a facilitator between the bereaved and other referral partners.  The service will help the bereaved adjust back into life and society more smoothly without the deceased and will assist them with dealing with the emotional turmoil that may ensue, to enable them to move forward and improve their quality of life.  This is a free service for those who are aged 60 or over, who have been bereaved in the last 12 months across the city.

This new service is part of Birmingham City Councils strategic focus on preventative services and particularly offers support to those recently bereaved who are most at ‘risk’ from falling into a more harmful depression.
 
This service is available 9.00am- 5.00pm Monday to Saturday (excluding Bank Holidays). Everyone referred or self-referring will receive a private and confidential one to one discussion with a trained Bereavement Support Officer within 5 working days (2 days if a risk is identified).
 

Financial check with a view to income maximisation 
All clients will be encouraged to have a benefits check, the Bereavement Support Officer will run through their finances with them, helping to identify any way we can support them in maximising their income. Where this involves in-depth support with form filling for welfare benefit applications, referrals will be made in-house to our Advice and Information Service.
 
Advising on practical support available
It might be that some simple practical measures will help that person that may now be living on their own for the first time.  A bereaved person may want information about a pendant alarm, how to get grab rails fitted, local trusted tradesmen or information about acquiring a Blue Badge for parking for example. Officers will also discuss coping strategies and techniques for managing loss and self-care.
 
Encouraging and enabling social inclusion
Officers will provide information about local groups in their area, trying to identify if they have any particular interest that can be catered for. The service will develop its own peer support groups as work progresses with the support of volunteers.
 
Promoting volunteering opportunities
Officers will provide information about volunteering opportunities. Service users may wish to assist in the setting up of self-sustaining peer support groups in their local area.
 
Signposting and referral
Where specialist help is needed we will refer on and sign post.
 
The overall aim of the service will be to deliver positive outcomes for bereaved older people improving their health and wellbeing. Also enabling individuals to remain independent and maintain a good quality of life in their own homes. Each individual will have specific outcomes which will be discussed in consultation with the bereaved which take into account every individual’s own situation.
 
ELIGIBILITY:
 
There are two stages to the eligibility criteria. The service is there to help those who are aged 60 or over who have been bereaved in the last twelve months. These are the governing factors and all clients must meet these initial criteria.  In addition: