Grief is, unfortunately, something we all have to go through at some point in life and it can affect us very differently. However, when older people lose their spouse or partner it can often lead to a point of crisis. It may be as a result of loneliness or having to cope alone and doing certain everyday tasks for the first time. In rural areas the isolation and sense of loneliness can be even worse due to the lack of support services in the area.
In three rural areas of Yorkshire the Touchstones project has been organising a wide range of support activities to tackle precisely this issue. The activities include practical sessions on cookery and sewing as well as providing opportunities for social interaction. The project uses volunteers to support delivery of the sessions as well as speaking to and supporting less confident older people to join in the activities. Beneficiaries have been asked what other activities they would wish to be included in the project. Based on popular demand, hobbies and interests were also explored and sessions on Yorkshire dialect, origami, and acrylic painting have been run alongside the skills sessions.
Input from both the volunteers and participants indicate that the project has been well organised and led to many positive outcomes for older people. In particular, the practical elements of the classes have received a lot of positive feedback. The cooking class for example not only provides practical knowledge, it also invokes positive memories.
“My wife would have loved this, she was disabled but she used to love being in the kitchen and I used to help her.” (Beneficiary)
For others, the practical elements helped to take their mind off the bereavement.
“You forget that you are bereaved, you are not concentrating on your bereavement or what’s happened to you. Here I feel safe and protected.” (Beneficiary)
Many of the beneficiaries highlighted the importance of having something to complement their on-going bereavement counselling, and to fill the gap once the counselling comes to an end. The small class sizes allowed more integration not only between the beneficiaries but also with the volunteers. In addition, beneficiaries often found the activities to be secondary to the opportunity to engage in social interaction.
Touchstones received £191,912 funding from Big Lottery Fund’s Silver Dreams Fund in association with the Daily Mail. At the end of December 2013, Touchstones had supported 174 bereaved older people to access or learn new practical skills.
You can read more here: http://www.ruralyorkshire.org.uk/project/touchstones/blogs
The Silver Dreams Fund 