The care and comfort of traumatised family members is of paramount importance to us

The sudden death of a loved one is incredibly traumatic, as relatives reel from the shock and grief and ability to cope with the heartbreak it brings.

Suicide is particularly traumatic and devastating as loved ones struggle to understand why it has happened.
One of the most awful aspects of sudden death is the inquest - something confusing and frightening to add to a bereaved family's loss.
Here in Meath the suicide charity, Living Links, provides an invaluable service to bereaved families, by attending inquests. It is one of the few such services provided around the country.
Ten years ago, if you were attending an inquest in Navan, there would be several cases heard on the one evening and all the families, witnesses and gardai would be present in the room while the various hearings took place.
Often, the bereaved families didn't know what to expect or were confused by the proceedings.
Today things are so very different, thanks to Living Links.
In Meath, the inquests, or Coroner's Court, takes place in Our Lady's Hospital in Navan.
“The nurses' canteen is just downstairs from the room where it is held, so we got the opportunity to use it,†explains Kevin MacNamidhe, one of the volunteers.
The volunteers from Living Links provide bereaved families with a place to wait in the canteen until their case is being dealt with, and provide tea or coffee.
They provide the service to all bereaved families whether it is a suicide case or not.
Volunteers talk to the families and explain what will happen and then if requested will attend the inquest with the family,
“If they want to come back down to us afterwards to talk, they can do that too,†Kevin explains.
“We started to provide this service around eight years ago and we have 11 volunteers at the moment.
“We are looking for more volunteers and will be starting a training course on 5th September, every week for eight weeks,†he explains.
The inquest service is just part of Living Links' extensive work with families bereaved by suicide.
Living Links have been providing a unique and valued Family Bereavement Support Service on a voluntary bases throughout the island of Ireland for over 15 years.
“We in Living Links strive to provide best practice support services to as many individuals and families as possible within our limited resources,†Kevin explains.
It has been found that within the first twelve to fourteen months following the suicide, most people were basically in a state of confusion and experiencing multiple emotions such as anger, guilt, denial and even suicidal thoughts.
Friction within the family unit was often a major problem and some families became totally dysfunctional. Families told of grief being at different levels within the family unit which lead to accusations of “you have forgotten very quickly†to “you were always the selfish oneâ€. Circumstances such as this prevent conversation and prohibit the exploration of feelings.  
Living Links objectives are to provide support and outreach to those bereaved by suicide, to increase awareness and understanding of suicide and its effects on individuals, families and communities, to liaise and exchange information with similar support groups nationally and internationally, to support and encourage relevant research and to produce leaflets and associated literature to be provided to survivors.
The group also provides families with information on health services available in the region, and the referral pathways to such services should such professional counselling be required.
They also provide and facilitate a group healing programme, on a needs basis, for the suicide bereaved and encourage the suicide bereaved and/or suicide affected to establish and foster an ongoing support group among themselves.
Living Links services are free to everyone and they welcome all those who are over 18 years of age to our services.
“Suicide brings a very particular type of bereavement trauma to any family. The care and comfort of the traumatised family member is of paramount importance to us in Living Links. We do not set limits on our services and our volunteers remain with the bereaved family for as long as it takes for them to recover or for as long as they want us to remain with them,†Kevin explains.
Trained volunteers are now available to offer confidential, practical support and information to families who have experienced a death by suicide. At the request of the family, the Suicide Outreach Support Person can call to the home or meet at a location appointed by the family.
The outreach worker can provide information and practical support concerning the following areas: the funeral, the inquest, entitlements, what to say to children, how to deal with neighbours, help a person clarify their personal grief connect the person to other support services in their area, provide information on suicide and attempted suicide.
They will be there, as a friend, for the person.
The Living Links listening/support service is also available to any person in the community including emergency personnel, Gardaí, clergy and funeral directors etc, who have in any way been affected by suicide.
If you or any of your friends would like to become a member of Living Links and maybe join the team of family bereavement support workers please contact living Links on; Livinglinks.irl@gmail.com or Living Links National Mobile Number: 087 2731001 or you can contact Kevin at Clogherboy House, Commons road, Navan. 

'Living Links do wonderful work and I will be eternally grateful to them,' said Meath coroner, Mr Nat Lacy.
'They do great work. Unfortunately and tragically, a lot of the work I do as coroner relates to suicide.
'Holding an inquest is compulsory in these situations and Living Links are a wonderful assistance to the families.
'They are a great assistance to me and a great help to the families involved.
'Because of what it is, an inquest has to have some type of formality, but the volunteers from Living Links help make it more informal for families. They make it easier for them.
 Mr Lacy said that his  father, John Lacy, who was coroner up until four years ago, was also very grateful for their work, as they had worked for a number of years with him too.

If you require support, please contact 087 2731001