Family-owned Wathall’s funeral directors Wathall’s have teamed up with a world-renowned grief counsellor to produce a free guide which highlights the potential impact on care-givers throughout the pandemic.

Wathall’s has previously worked with Dr Bill Webster to develop the Dandelions Grief Journey which is a free four-week programme to help people better understand and cope with bereavement.

For their latest joint venture, both have come together to produce the guide entitled ‘Caregivers in Extraordinary Times – Not all Heroes wear Capes’ which will be distributed free of charge to hospitals, care homes and GP surgeries across Derbyshire and is also available by downloading this PDF Wathalls_Caregivers

Helen Wathall MBE, who is the fifth generation of her family to run Wathall’s funeral directors, explained: “Throughout the pandemic health and social care professionals have worked long hours under extreme conditions – often to the detriment of their own families – and have dealt with multiple deaths.

“The guide has been produced on the same principles we used with Dr Webster to devise Dandelions Grief Journey.  This explains the process that people go through to following a bereavement so that they can acknowledge their emotions and put measures in place to better cope.

“Based on the experience we have gained supporting people through their grief journey, we were therefore keen to highlight to care-givers, their colleagues, families and employers that the coming weeks, months and potentially longer term will be difficult for many people to cope with.”

Dr Webster continued: “Caregivers are usually alert to the stresses of people they support. They are not, however, always as attentive to the stress and fatigue that can slowly surface in their own lives, and often need to be reminded of stress symptoms that may affect them.

“This guide therefore outlines the causes of stress and recommends strategies for helping others and, most importantly, looking after themselves from healthy eating to quality time with family and friends.”

To receive a printed copy of the guide, please contact Wathall’s on 01332 345268 or email fay.bloor@wathalls.co.uk