When your caring role comes to an end

Losing someone close to you is hard. If you have been caring for that person, the loss can seem worse.

How you cope with the death of the person you cared for is personal. There is no right or wrong way to feel.

After a death there are a lot of practical things to do like registering the death and arranging the funeral, and family and friends might be around a lot more.

You might only start to grieve once everything has been dealt with and the people around you get back to their everyday lives.

The best help and support can come from the people you know and who you know best.

Talking about what has happened, and about the person who has passed away can help you to come to terms with their death, and to cope with the feelings you have.

Where to get help

There are organisations that can help you and offer support:

• Your GP can put you in touch with a local bereavement counsellor if you'd like more formal one-to-one counselling
• You can self-refer yourself to see a counsellor to South Tyneside Lifecycle Primary Care Mental Health Service
• You might also be able to get counselling support through your employer's Occupational Health service
• Tyneside and Northumberland Mind - provide mental health support services
• Samaritans - 24 hour phone helpline offering emotional support to people in distress or despair
• Lifecycle Primary Care Mental Health Service  - bereavement support to children and young people
• Kooth - online counselling and support service, available to all young people across South Tyneside aged between 11 and 25 years
• Escape Intervention Services - counselling support to young people aged 4 to 25 years, and their parents/carers