I know Christmas can be a difficult time for a lot of you. Unfortunately, it’s also a time when support services can be closed or offer reduced hours.
Here’s a guide to getting the support you need over the festive period.
Support each other
One good place to get support is right here on the Sue Ryder Online Community. As ever, this site is available 24/7 for you to share your feelings and support each other through this difficult time of year. Here are some recent conversations where people are talking about coping with grief at Christmas. Feel free to join in with any of these by adding your own reply or start a new conversation yourself.
The Sue Ryder team will be checking the site daily, so you can still let us know about any issues by clicking the ‘report’ button under a post or emailing online.community@sueryder.org.
However, we will have limited cover, so we will prioritise urgent issues, and might take longer than normal to get back to you.
Elise from Sue Ryder’s Leckhampton Hospice has also shared her advice on coping with grief during the festive season over on the blog.
Helplines
The Cruse Bereavement helpline is open every day over Christmas if you need someone to talk to. Call 0844 477 9400. See full details of Christmas opening times .
The Marie Curie helpline is open every day over Christmas, but with reduced hours. For information and support for anyone affected by terminal illness, call 0800 090 2309. See full details of Christmas opening times.
The Samaritans are open 24/7 all year round on 116 123 (UK) or 116 123 (ROI) - call for supportive and non-judgemental listening if you need to talk about anything that’s bothering you.
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.