Helping Your Grandchildren Through Their Parents\’ Divorce
When your child divorces, you\’re faced with many challenges. Of course, you want to support your child. At the same time, you need to remain neutral. You may have conflicting feelings – either of closeness to your in-law or of resentment because of how your child was treated. You may blame one partner for the [...]
When an Adult Child Dies
It\’s something you never imagined. Your child, who has gone into the world, finished college, started a career and maybe even a family, has died. Life isn\’t supposed to be like this. Your grief is sharp, deep and profound. Your child was an adult. You\’ve managed to forge a friendship, making the loss even harder. [...]
Helping Your Grandchild Deal With the Death of a Parent
Your family is grieving. Whether you\’re faced with the heartache of losing an adult child or the pain of having your child lose his or her spouse, your life has been turned upside down. Although you\’re already overwhelmed, there\’s one more responsibility you\’ll need to take on: helping your grandchildren cope with the loss of [...]
How Autopsies Help Those Left Behind
The sudden death of a loved one can leave relatives with more questions than answers. Was it caused by an accident or an illness? Some autopsies are required by law. In other cases, a close relative may need to grant permission. What is an autopsy? An autopsy is an examination of the body after death. [...]
Losing a Parent, Spouse or Child
The following suggestions are based on a series of "GriefWork" guides published by the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service with support from the Funeral Directors Association of Kentucky. Information on coping with a child\’s death comes from Compassionate Friends, a nonprofit self-help organization for anyone who has lost a child. When a parent dies Forgive. Even [...]
What Is Grief?
Grief is a natural, necessary and therapeutic reaction to loss. According to the National Mental Health Association, some 8 million Americans suffer through the death of someone in their immediate family each year. Of those survivors, about 400,000 are younger than 25, and about 800,000 are new widows or widowers. Grief also can come after [...]
What to Say to Someone Who Is Grieving
It is difficult to find the right words to comfort a grief-stricken friend or co-worker. Some things we say with the best intentions can make a grieving friend feel worse. Grief counselor Marta Felber, M.Ed., author of "Grief Expressed: When a Mate Dies" and herself a widow, offers the following "Do\’s and Don\’ts" for conversing [...]
Emotions and Behaviors Associated With Grief
Even in its healthiest manifestations, grief is complex in nature. It often includes a variety of emotions, which may overlap at times, occur in sequence, cycles or waves. Here are some of the emotions and behaviors that are typically associated with grief: Emotions: Profound sadness Shock Disbelief Depression A sense of numbness Guilt Acute loneliness [...]
Is it Grief or Clinical Depression?
What are signs that a bereaved person should talk to a grief counselor? In some cases, a grief reaction is extreme. Symptoms may include any or all of the following: Unintended weight loss or gain of 10 or more pounds Ineffectiveness at work Inability to function at home Loss of interest in things that previously [...]
Mental Health: Questions for Your Doctor
If you are seeing your doctor about a mental health condition, you may feel overwhelmed and even embarrassed. Don\’t be. Mental disorders are common and widespread. The National Mental Health Association estimates that 54 million Americans suffer from some form of mental disorder in any given year. Some of the most common are depression, bipolar [...]