Kerry Burns, Coordinator for the Bereavement and Wellbeing project, Caring for Carers – a consortium of third sector organisations, including Crossroads, Communities in Sync and Ideal for All, among others – recently spoke to Dave Heeley, known as ‘Blind Dave’. Dave, who lost his sight at a young age, is a local charity fundraiser and celebrity who gave an interesting and inspiring insight into his and his family member’s personal experience of care, bereavement, lockdown and life as a blind man.
Patron of Ideal for All, Dave spent time chatting to Kerry about the role of carers and the importance of helping to reduce the loneliness and isolation they can often feel. Caring for Carers supports carers who have experienced a bereavement of the person they have been caring for and also those who are caring for someone who is receiving palliative and end-of-life care.
The service identifies individual needs to develop a personal action plan, working with carers to help them deal emotionally with bereavement while tackling the practical issues that arise when a loved one passes. There is also the option for carers to get involved in support groups and various therapeutic projects such as the Healing Garden and the Living Memory Project to help both physical and mental health.
Referrals to the Caring for Carers service can be made via telephone or email – for full details visit the Bereavement and Wellbeing webpage.
You can watch Kerry and Dave’s full conversation on our YouTube channel.
