How to Help A Loved One After Bereavement

bereavement

The UK Commission on Bereavement has recently published a report which shows that we are not good at comforting people who are grieving.

The Commission surveyed around 1000 people who had been recently bereaved and the results showed that nearly 50% of those surveyed felt that they received little or no help from their friends following a death of a loved one.

Talking about death or trying to support someone who has been recently bereaved can be an uncomfortable process as often you don’t want to do or say the wrong thing.

What Can We Do To Support Someone Who Is Going Through The Grieving Process?

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer, and whatever we do won’t take away that sense of grief.

Each bereaved person’s circumstances are different and what works for one person, may not then work for another. It is always a good idea to adapt your approach depending on who it is and what you know about them. Sometimes support can be offered through talking to the bereaved person about their loved one, spending some time with the bereaved person and talking to them about how they feel, or simply helping on a practical level with food and shopping.

Following a death there is usually some legal and administrative work to do and many bereaved people want to make headway with that process at the earliest opportunity. Unless the deceased’s estate is taxable, in which case there are certain time pressures to bear in mind, there generally isn’t a rush to take any immediate action, save as to locate the Will and arrange the funeral.

Most often it is after the funeral, or at least after the funeral arrangements have been made that a family will approach us for help with the legal side of things. Quite often we find that a friend or a family member will attend an appointment to support them and act as a second pair of ears.