Christmas and New Year can be a difficult time for many people, and it may be feeling tougher this year if you’re affected by lockdown and the changing restrictions.
If you are finding this time of year difficult and looking for support, we want to reassure you that you’re not alone. Although some support services have closed or have reduced hours over the Christmas period, we’re sharing a guide in this thread to help you get the support you might need.
Support each other
One good place to get support is right here on the Sue Ryder Online Community. This site is available 24/7 for you to share your feelings and support each other through this difficult time of year.
To see what people have already posted, we’ve put together a round-up of recent conversations about coping with Christmas: Coping with grief at Christmas
The Sue Ryder team will be checking the site daily. You can still let us know about any issues by clicking the ‘flag’ button under a post or emailing online.community@sueryder.org
However, we will have limited cover on weekends and bank holidays, so we will prioritise urgent issues, and might take longer than normal to get back to you at these times.
Helplines
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The Cruse Bereavement Care helpline is open every day over Christmas if you need someone to talk to. Call 0808 808 1677 . See full details of Christmas opening times .
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The Samaritans are open 24/7 all year round on 116 123 - call for free supportive and non-judgemental listening if you need to talk about anything that’s bothering you.
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Marie Curie - offers support to those with a terminal illness and their families, and those struggling with a bereavement. Call them on 0800 090 2309. See full details of Christmas opening times.
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Shout are contactable by text, 24/7. You can text Shout to 85258 and talk to them about anything.
Medical help
If you are under the care of a healthcare team, check whether they have an out-of-hours contact number for any medical issues over the Christmas period. All GP services will have emergency cover details - please use your regular GP number to obtain out of hours contact details. For non-emergency advice, you can also call NHS 111.
In a medical emergency please dial 999.
We hope this guide of support services has been helpful. Look after yourselves this Christmas and remember, if you need support, all of these services, including our online community, are here for you.