Coping with grief
We all deal with grief differently. Arranging a funeral and managing an estate can keep us busy for a while, but once the practical steps are organised, there is still the emotion of loss to deal with.
What is grief?
Grief is completely normal. It may affect you through a whole range of emotions, including pain, shock, anger guilt, depression and loneliness. If you do have people around who can help, it’s a really good idea to let them, rather than feel under pressure to manage everything yourself.
Joy Sackett Wood is a counsellor, therapist and grief transformation coach. She says “Grief is really difficult to get through on your own. Finding the right support can be challenging as it is sometimes hard to talk to family and friends who are coping with their own grief. Professional support offers you a safe and compassionate place to work through the complexity of emotions caused by the trauma of grief.”
Coming to terms with loss
There are several charities that you can contact for specialist advice and information, and caring support beyond your immediate friends and family circle.
In support of National Grief Awareness, live-in care agency Elder, has put together a list of resources for helping to deal with grief.
- Cruse Bereavement Care offers a dedicated support line, along with online resources and bereavement help.
- As the UK’s leading mental health charity, Mind has numerous resources and useful information on bereavement and can be on hand to help through grief.
- The Loss Foundation is a UK charity dedicated to providing bereavement support for a loss of a loved one. It offers support groups that can help with coping with the emotions of grief.
You probably know Age UK as a national charity for elderly people, but it also offers a befriending service which can be invaluable for those who have been recently bereaved.
The National Health Service has a range of resources and information to help through grief and loss and you can find lots of information on their coping with bereavement and loss hub.
Avoiding loneliness
Loneliness is a growing challenge in the world today, and it’s especially keenly felt by those who lose a long-term partner.
You can help in the most straightforward of ways, just by staying in touch and letting people know that you haven’t forgotten them or their loved one, even if you’re having to get on with life on a day-to-day basis.
You can download our guide on helping parents to overcome loneliness for some useful ideas.
Practical steps after a death
Arranging a funeral and dealing with the administration of wills and estates can be challenging at this time.
Here are some resources to help you understand the practical tasks and manage the next steps.
- A solicitor explains what to do when someone dies
- From personal experience we outline decisions to made when you’re organising a funeral
- The UK Government has a range of resources which can guide you through the practical considerations after someone passes away
- Local authorities can be a great help for pointing you in the direction of support services and resources.
For other organisations offering support and information around caring for older family and friends, take a look at our Directory.
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