Bereavement, grief and loss - CareSearch

Shock and distress are common whensomeone dies, even if it is an expecteddeath after a long illness. The deathof that person changes things forever.Each individual will react differentlywhen someone dies and there is noright or wrong way to grieve.GRIEF AND SADNESSPeople are often quite shocked in the weeksfollowing the death of a loved one. For some, itcan lead, at least for a time, to all consuminggrief and sadness. Coping with grief and lossoften requires a substantial emotional and physicaleffort and can sometimes be overwhelming.After someone has died, people may avoidmentioning them for fear of causing distress.However, sometimes taking the initiative andtalking about the person who has died can be arelief. It can help family and friends feel morecomfortable talking about what has happenedand how they are feeling.CHILDREN AND GRIEFChildren grieve in different ways from adults.Grief may affect their behaviour, the way in whichthey take in information, and their need forsupport. How they respond to the loss will dependon whether they are a child or teenager, theirage, and their emotional maturity. It will alsodepend on who has died, how they died, andthe child’s relationship with them.LOSS OF A CHILDLosing a child is devastating for the parents andfor the rest of the family. No amount of awarenessof the impending loss prepares a parent or otherfamily members for when it actually happens.Parental grief has been described as being moreintense than grief in response to any other losses,regardless of the age of the child.SEEKING HELPSometimes, if grief is overwhelming, people mayneed professional help to cope with their griefand loss. There are resources in the communitythat can be used to support those needing help.RECOVERING AND REMEMBERINGOften following a death, people take time toreflect on and to acknowledge the person’s life.It is comforting to think that those who havedied still have a voice, a story, or a connectionthat remains behind with those who love them.There are different ways in which to rememberthe person who has died. Although sadness andloss will still be there, it is important to rememberand share happy moments also.There are a number of grief, loss andbereavement resources on the CareSearchwebsite that can help.