Hospice patients and their families have the chance to join a community support group if they are facing loneliness or social isolation.
South Bucks Hospice, based at Butterfly House in High Wycombe, recently launched a ‘Community Partners’ scheme with the aim of helping people affected by cancer or a bereavement.
Community Partners is part of a nationwide initiative to create locally-organised groups offering specialised spaces for ongoing support and company.
Juliette Coffey, Head of Individual and Family Support at Butterfly House, said: “At South Bucks Hospice we recognise that social isolation is one of the most significant factors in decreasing the state of anyone’s health, no matter what their age.
“Meeting like-minded people who understand our experiences and struggles gives us a valuable sense of being heard and known and seen.”
The hospice has already partnered with several locations across the area, including: Oasis, Flackwell Heath (for bereaved adults); Sharing Strength at the Dove Café, Holtspur (for those impacted by cancer); and most recently Freedom to Grieve run by Rachel Phillips, who has lost two husbands to cancer and as a parent of a young child wanted to set up a support group for widowed parents as well as running and walking groups for this bereaved age group. Freedom to Grieve is based in Aylesbury but Rachel’s additional online support groups mean support is accessible across Bucks.
Juliette stressed how beneficial it could be to join one such group, adding: “This feeling of being ‘plugged in’ to activities going on in the community may not be an experience we can gain in quite the same way anywhere else. It can be positively enabling and life giving, to join in with others, being inspired by their thoughts, reflections and guidance.”
Now, the hospice is on the look-out for more organisations willing to provide venues and support for community partnerships. Full training and a monthly mentoring/support group are provided for all those who might like to set up a new locally-run group for those affected by cancer or those who are bereaved.
Please email: community@sbhospice.org.uk to find out more if you want to join a group or if you want to help set up a new one.
Image shows Rachel Philips who runs Freedom to Grieve.
“Meeting like-minded people who understand our experiences and struggles gives us a valuable sense of being heard and known and seen.”
