Support for myself

Talking about death can feel uncomfortable. Everyone is different and some people find it more difficult than others. You might worry about upsetting loved ones, but talking openly and honestly about dying can help reduce feelings of distress, grief and loneliness. Once decided, it can be helpful to clearly write down your wishes. This helps carers, medical professionals, friends and family to understand and respect them.

If you want to plan your end of life care and make your wishes known, the links below provide helpful, free information and tips to get you started.

Future Planning is specifically designed so that the things that matter to you, your preferences and wishes relating to your medical care are recorded. This is so that if you are taken ill it can help those caring for you make better, more informed decisions about how to support you.

NHS Choices has a supportive guide for people approaching the end of their life. This includes how and where you want to be cared for, financial issues, planning ahead and searching for local hospices.

Independent Age provides information about practical matters to plan for end of life and coping with bereavement.

Marie Curie Talkabout provides support and inspiration to help you talk about and plan for death, at any age.

They have also written a free, downloadable 'Rough Guide to the End of Life'.

Connect to Support Hampshire lists local and national end of life services. Please note that providers listed in this directory are not endorsed by Hampshire County Council.

Watch

Age UK’s five minute video Let’s talk about death and dying.

Grief is an emotion we experience relating to loss. It is a normal process. Everyone experiences grief differently and there is no right way to grieve but talking can help us to learn to cope with our grief. Talking about the loss of a loved one might feel uncomfortable but it is an important way to cope with our grief and remember loved ones.

Some people prefer to speak to friends, family or others who have had similar experiences, whilst others may wish to talk to a bereavement support professional or grief counsellor. Grief support groups can help if you feel that no one around you truly understands what you are going through. They offer a safe space for people who have experienced bereavement to come together, providing comfort and friendship. There is no time limit on when you can access help, or for how long, following a bereavement.

A range of judgment-free, discreet bereavement support and advice is available to help you find what suits your needs. Find free, easy-to-access options below.

Local Help and Advice

Death Positive Libraries in Hampshire aim to remove the barriers to talking about death and dying, offering books, resources, and trained staff to give guidance. Their ‘Living with Loss’ groups provide a safe space for bereaved individuals to come together and support one another in their grief journey.

Cruse provides free bereavement support, no matter how long you have been grieving. Call your local branch on:

01256 862264 (North Hampshire)

0300 7904055 (South Hampshire, restricted hours only).

Learn more about understanding and managing grief, as well as supporting other people. They offer a range of locally tailored support, including group and one-to-one sessions. For more immediate help, call the free national helpline on 0808 808 1677, open every day (but opening times vary). Calls are confidential and there is no minimum age.

Winchester Bereavement Support is a voluntary organisation offering free support to bereaved adults in Winchester and the surrounding area. Call 07450 649679.

Bereavement Care offers free support to anyone struggling with loss. They offer one-to-one support, plus some local wellbeing or friendship groups. Call 08081 691 922.

Connect to Support Hampshire lists many more local and national bereavement services. Please note that providers listed in this directory are not endorsed by Hampshire County Council.

National Help and Advice

Sue Ryder offers a range of free online bereavement support that can help you learn to live with your grief. Connect with the right support for you – from their Grief Guide offering information and resources, to qualified counsellors, or a community of others with similar experiences.

Grief Coach provides free, expert grief text support to your phone all year long. From Sue Ryder.

The Good Grief Trust lists telephone support numbers for a range of bereavement services, and offers information on coping with loss, including helpful videos.

GriefChat by Independent Age allows you to chat online directly to a specially trained bereavement counsellor. It is instant, free and available Monday-Friday 9am-9pm, or by email out of these hours.

Sue Ryder Grief Guide on LGBTQ+ grief and bereavement. Queer Good Grief is a monthly peer to peer online support meeting and safe space for members of the LGTBQ+ community who are grieving.

At A Loss is a bereavement signposting website if the above are not what you are looking for.

The National Bereavement Alliance has produced a printable Grief Support Guide available, also available in the following languages: Bengali, Chinese, French, Gujarati, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish and Welsh.

If you have found out the future of your baby is uncertain you may find this guide useful, by charities Bliss and Together for Short Lives. It includes information about end of life care for babies and bereavement support.

WAY is a national charity for people aged 50 or under when their partner died. It’s a peer-to-peer support group, with a network of volunteers who have been bereaved at a young age themselves. WAY aims to provide peer-to-peer emotional and practical support to young, widowed people – married or not, with or without children, inclusive of sexual orientation, gender, race, and religion.

If your grief is causing you physical or mental wellbeing concerns, contact your GP. Depending on your needs they may refer you to a social prescriber or mental wellbeing advisor who may work with you one-to-one to find solutions that suit you.

Listen

There are many podcasts that explore bereavement and grief. Discover a podcast that appeals to you from this list created by the charity Cruse. Why not listen to them whilst on a walk – in a park or green space if you can.

Watch

The Good Grief Trust have recorded videos of people who have been bereaved sharing their stories about moving forward.

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) offers peer-led, free support to adults affected by suicide loss. Call the Winchester group on 07763 644 310 or email [email protected]

Amparo is a free and confidential service offering support to anyone in Hampshire affected by suicide, including children and young people. Call 0330 088 9255.

The Purple Pack bereavement guide for families of service personnel is designed to provide you with information and contact details of recommended organisations that can help you with your specific needs.

Cruse bereavement charity can support people following a death in service. They have information relating to inquests, repatriation, and what happens after a military death. They have a freephone helpline on 0808 808 1677 and information specifically for children and young people.

Winston’s Wish has information on support for children in a bereaved military family.