Helping Others Deal With Death of a Loved One

Ever felt helpless in the face of tragedy in the lives of people you care about?

How do you help a close friend, or relative, deal with the death of a loved one?

Here's a list of tips:
Cook a meal, freeze it, and take it over. Why freeze it? Because it takes the pressure off. They can eat it at their own convenience, when their appetite returns.

Offer to drive or run errands. Even the simplest chores seem impossible to someone who's grieving.

Offer to help them organize/box/clean out, ect.

If you can afford it, give them a little money in a card. People tend to miss work in this situation, so helping out monetarily is usually welcome.

Don't tell them that you know how they feel, just listen.

Make them a cup of tea.

Give them permission to tell stories about and include the deceased in normal everyday remarks.

Remember important dates: anniversaries, birthdays, holidays when the lived one will be sorely missed.


Visit and offer to do housework while they take a nap/read/shower.

Don't forget to call them two weeks later to see if they need anything. Then call again two weeks after that. Your constant support will be appreciated.

Adapted/borrowed in part from http://dyejobslye.blogspot.com/2011/03/helping-others-deal-with-death-in.html

- Posted using BlogPress on the go, so pardon dodgy formatting or spelling. I couldn't wait!

Comments

Woven and Spun said…
Another pressure-reliever . . . offer to make calls for them. Could be to acquaintances, place of employment, anywhere that would eventually need to be notified of the death. Keep a list of who you've called so later when thoughts are more clear they can know what has been taken care of.
Ryan Scott said…
Cliches are some of the worst ways ever to try and minister to someone that is grieving. Understanding the grieving process is a must in my opinion.

When Crisis Comes to Church
diane said…
Thank you for "borrowing" from my blog, and giving me credit.