A warm welcome to Cruse Bereavement Support and Dementia UK
Cruse is the leading national charity for bereaved children, young people and adults, and we are delighted to be in partnership with The Openwork Foundation.
We will use the annual grant specifically to help expand our range of services for children and young people. You can listen to Andy Langford, Clinical director at Cruse, introduce our partnership.
The effects of bereavement are widespread and can be devastating. Every day, more than 100 children in the UK experience the death of a parent.
At Cruse, we simply can’t let this happen.
Year on year we support over 5,000 children and young people and provide help and advice to many parents, carers and school staff, who are directly supporting children when they are most in need, following a bereavement.
All services are provided by trained volunteers and are confidential and free. In 2020 over 32% more people were supported than in 2019, as a result of increased demand from the pandemic.
What will your funding support We have employed a national children and young people’s lead – Shivani Vaidya to recruit and train 90 specialist bereavement volunteers, to equip them to support traumatically bereaved children and young people. Cruse will also establish a peer support network for children and young people to build on the impact of Hope Again (www.hopeagain.org.uk) - Cruse’s youth website.
A Personal Story Hannah and her sons, Joshua (aged 11) and Sam (aged 9) received support from Kate, a Cruse bereavement volunteer, after their dad died from a brain tumour.
Hannah says: “The boys and I have always been open about their dad’s illness and death. I tried to help, read books and spoke to numerous counsellors, but there is no manual for how an individual child will react. I was crying for them losing their dad, for the memories that would fade, for the future they didn’t have with him and the impact it was having on them. It’s so hard to see your children in so much pain and to be unable to help. Kate was a lifeline. Honestly, she kept the kids and I afloat in the darkest times.”
Together with The Openwork Foundation, Cruse can support many more children and young people, to understand their feelings and develop coping strategies. Cruse can help individuals return to every-day life whilst remembering and, when it’s possible, celebrating the lives of those who have died.
In our next edition of Ted’s News we’ll tell you more about how you can become a Bereavement Volunteer.
If you or someone you are close to has been affected by a bereavement and wants to talk to someone, please call our helpline 0808 808 1677 or visit our website .
Dementia UK is the specialist dementia nurse charity providing life-changing care for families affected by all forms of dementia. Our Admiral Nurses are here to help people when they need it most. They have the time to listen and the knowledge to solve problems.
For families affected by dementia, they can make a vast difference for the quality of life of families living with a loved one with dementia.
When things get challenging or difficult for people with dementia and their families, our Admiral Nurses work alongside them. Our nurses give the compassionate one-to-one support, expert guidance and practical solutions that can be difficult to find elsewhere. They are a lifeline - helping families to live more positively with dementia in the present, and to face the challenges of tomorrow with more confidence and less fear.
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on dementia care and support. NHS, social care, and community services have all been in short supply, and many have ceased entirely, leaving an immense backlog in dementia diagnosis and care management. People with dementia are left feeling bewildered, debilitated and extremely vulnerable.
Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and can be devastating. It can rob someone’s memory, personality, and ability to communicate. The toll on families can be enormous – emotionally, physically, and financially – watching their loved one deteriorate over time.
Dementia UK provides specialist dementia support for families, through their Admiral Nurse service.
What will our funding support? Dementia UK are delighted to have funding from The Openwork Foundation to support Admiral Nurse Deborah Hutchinson, who works on Dementia UK’s National Helpline.
Admiral Nurses can make all the difference. They support around 70,000 carers annually, including 27,624 people on their National Dementia Helpline in 2020 – a 34% increase, compared to the year before. The Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline ensures that anyone, anywhere in the UK, can access expert support and advice from a dementia specialist nurse.
Deborah Hutchinson, Admiral Nurse
Deborah will provide the holistic and expert care that families need to cope with each of their own personal situations. Deborah works within a team of 48 helpline nurses delivering vital care and support to make sure Dementia UK can provide this crucial care to as many people as possible.
Together with the Foundation we hope to bring specialist dementia care closer to every family who needs it.
If you have a question or concern about dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) you can call our Dementia Helpline for free on
or send an email to helpline@dementiauk.org.
Dementia UK Website