Leeds Bereavement Forum is using Zoom to help grieving people

A bereavement charity has been helping grieving people via virtual means during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leeds Bereavement  Forum’s monthly Death Cafe, which helps people talk about grief, is now being held on Zoom.Leeds Bereavement  Forum’s monthly Death Cafe, which helps people talk about grief, is now being held on Zoom.
Leeds Bereavement Forum’s monthly Death Cafe, which helps people talk about grief, is now being held on Zoom.

Leeds Bereavement Forum (LBF) has been hosting events known as ‘Death Cafes’ by Zoom to help people under lockdown talk about their loss.

The small charity has also been using the video-conferencing technology to train organisations about how to console people.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

LBF manager Jane Robinson said: “People who have been bereaved under lockdown have had a very different experience to those who have been bereaved before it.

The theme of Leeds Bereavement Forum’s conference last year was inclusion and diversity.The theme of Leeds Bereavement Forum’s conference last year was inclusion and diversity.
The theme of Leeds Bereavement Forum’s conference last year was inclusion and diversity.

“Whether it was a COVID death or any death, people have often been dying alone if they been in hospital and not been with their family. People have not been able to have the funeral they wanted for their loved one and, of course, death has been in the news all the time.”

She added: “It has been a very difficult time for those who have been bereaved under lockdown.”

The manager said enquiries about its services had increased in May and June. She also expects the trend to continue for quite some time.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The forum has also been involved in a new grief and loss helpline, which has been set up by the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership. The 8am to 8pm online or phone service (0808 1963833) aims to help people to have that first conversation about their loss. The daily service is staffed by bereavement professionals who can also signpost to other services.

Jane Robinson is the manager of Leeds Bereavement Forum.Jane Robinson is the manager of Leeds Bereavement Forum.
Jane Robinson is the manager of Leeds Bereavement Forum.

Normally, LBF hosts face-to-face meetings with the grieving and those wishing to learn bereavement skills. But as lockdown loomed, it moved its work online. These training sessions have been popular with the Third Sector organisations, like Leeds Older People’s Forum.

And its monthly Death Cafes, which are usually held at libraries across Leeds, are also on Zoom.

People now come together online to discuss their feelings in a informal way, instead of at usual venues like the Tiled Hall Cafe.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Jane said: “In May we ran out first virtual Death Cafe. It was really interesting and a different way of doing it. We had nine participants which is similar or a bit more than we would have in real life. The nice thing about it being virtual is that anyone can join us from anywhere. We thought our most exotic participant was from Weston-super-Mare, but then we had someone from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.”

The University of Leeds’ bereavement group took part in Dying Matters Week.The University of Leeds’ bereavement group took part in Dying Matters Week.
The University of Leeds’ bereavement group took part in Dying Matters Week.

They have been able to run their Zoom services after getting a ‘resilience’ grant from Leeds Community Fund, which helped buy an extra laptop and to develop online training.

But Jane said Zoom did have its drawbacks when it came to helping grieving people. She said: “In a real Death Cafe, it is much easier to tell people’s body language, how they are feeling and see this is someone who needs a chat at the end of it. In real life that is much easier to do. But in Zoom it is a bit harder because you can’t give a virtual hug to someone who is struggling a bit.”

But LBF is learning all the time about how to adapt. It now leaves the Zoom call open at the end of the Death Cafe just in case anyone wants to chat afterwards. Its next one will be on Thursday, September 24 between 11am and noon.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Jane said LBF may do some face-to-face training in the autumn, but added: I think the online training has worked really well. I think unless things change a lot I think we will continue to do most of or work online for the foreseeable future.”

FACT FILE:

Leeds Bereavement Forum (LBF) works to develop and improve services for those who are grieving in the city.

It began in 1996 and was developed to be a ‘signposting’ organisation which points individuals to the most appropriate bereavement service either locally or nationally.

The service is free and open to all. Manager Jane Robinson said: “Anyone can ring us or email us. We can chat with them and work out the best bereavement support for them. Then we will signpost them to wherever appropriate.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We have an online directory and also a paper directory of bereavement services across Leeds.”

The forum also provides training, information, events and conferences to people who work in the area of bereavement to support their professional development.

LBF campaigns to help people talk more openly about dying, death and bereavement and to make plans for the end of life.

It is a partner of Dying Matters in Leeds, which has similar aims on being more open about the grieving process.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The partnership, which is led by Leeds City Council and funded by the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, brings together experts in the field of bereavement who work towards an awareness week in May.

For more information see: lbforum.org.uk. You can also call 0113 225 3975 and leave a message or email [email protected].

Related topics: