Grief | Grieving | Death of a Child

Anticipatory grief - a feeling of loss before a death or dreaded event occurs - is a hard journey. Holidays make it even harder. At a time when you’re supposed to feel happy and joyful, you feel sad and anxious. You’re on pins and needles and wonder what will happen next.

Remember, your grief stems from love, and you may find comfort in that. Holidays don’t erase your reasons for feeling sad and lonely, according to the National Mental Health Association, and “there is room for these feelings to be present.” So accept your feelings and, if you feel like crying, go ahead and do it. Read the rest of this entry »

“The Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation enables single parents of children with
life-threatening illnesses to care for their children fulltime by
relieving financial burdens when other resources are exhausted or unavailable.”

 A child is diagnosed with a terminal disease. The mother finds herself alone. Why?  Statistics shows that 78% (8 out of 10) couples separate or divorce once it is determined that their child suffers a life-threatening or catastrophic chronic illness.  Invariably, mothers become the single care-givers.  The struggles of these lone parents and their dying children remain hidden to the world.   So do the impossible choices that these mothers must make.  If a mother quits her job to care of her child, the family finances shatter.   If she chooses to continue to work, then her dying child must often face suffering and treatments alone, a frightening prospect for both mother and child. Read the rest of this entry »

Hello,

I wanted to follow up on the information my colleague recently sent about In Repose.com  I wanted to make sure you know the site launched recently. 

In Repose eases the burden of end-of-life planning by providing a means to record important information about loved ones, such as: Where is the will? What kind of funeral do I want? Where are the financial documents? Who will take care of the pets?
 
These are questions that people do not like to address, but they are important ones.

Top 10 Reasons to Use In Repose Read the rest of this entry »

For the past few days I’ve been walking around feeling like there’s a big weight hanging over me ready to fall at any moment. Getting things done has been a chore. Making plans beyond the next day has taken all of my willpower. It feels as though my life is on hold and that I’m just waiting. Read the rest of this entry »

In this article, I will outline key points my fellow hospice team members and I have observed in our day to day work.. I have worked over 12 years as a Spiritual Counselor in Hospice Care. Each person teaches me something, though it is I who is supposed to minister to them in the final moments. For my colleagues and I, working in hospice is an ongoing challenge and learning experience, that presents us with learning of the deepest kind - on a soul level. In this article, I share with you the perspectives of my colleagues and myself, at a Hospice Center in Read the rest of this entry »

I know anticipatory grief - a feeling of loss before a death or dreaded event occurs - far too well. My mother suffered from probable Alzheimer’s disease and I was her caregiver for nine years. As time passed she lost the ability to reason, track numbers, read a book, understand TV, create sentences, and finally, the ability to speak. Read the rest of this entry »

Dementia - the loss of intelligence, reasoning, memory, and will - is an awful thing to happen to anyone. There are many causes of dementia: Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, thyroid problems, poor nutrition, drug interactions, brain tumor, and degenerative disease. I was my mother’s caregiver for nine years and watched, helplessly, as dementia changed her appearance, personality, and mind.

Every day of caregiving was a day of anticipatory grief. I worried about myself. If I felt this badly now, how would I feel after my mother died? Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re going through anticipatory grief you’ve probably heard of “grief work.” Health professionals may use the term without explaining it. Anticipatory grief is so draining and confusing you may not have a clear picture of your grief work. What is it? How can you accomplish it?

“Grief work includes the processes that a mourner needs to complete before resuming daily processes,” according to The National Cancer Institute. This grief work includes mentally separating from the person who has died, adjusting to a different life, and forming new relationships. Read the rest of this entry »

Friends share their lives with each other. You swap stories, laugh at silly jokes, and discuss tough issues. Whether it’s before death or after, no issue is tougher than grief. “Close friends can make the critical difference in our coping with grief,” writes Judy Tatelbaum in “The Courage to Grieve.” Read the rest of this entry »

Anticipatory grief has been described as a “normal process,” but life is far from normal if you’re going through it. Some experts list symptoms in broad terms, and others list them in detail. Short list or long, anticipatory grief symptoms are jarring.

You may have bouts of crying, for example, a symptom that upsets you and those around you. You may hold back your tears because you have to be strong for your loved one. All through the day you have a choked feeling in your throat. Holding back tears takes lots of energy and, before long, you’re exhausted. Read the rest of this entry »