significantly lighten their burden. As the discussion of models of grief has revealed, grief is a complex, delicate process, and stress over a new or newly limited life routine is likely to get in the way of that process. Simple things like assisting in arranging travel accommodations for distant family members attending the funeral, or helping to deal with the paperwork involved with transporting a loved one’s remains could make all the difference and let your client get to the work only they can do for themselves: healthy grieving. Alzheimer’s. Helping a client understand that their grief may be the source of their symptoms if they are not already aware may help ease their minds and facilitate getting the treatment they need for true relief. Preparatory grief, the experience of grief in anticipation of a loss, is especially common among the elderly, for example, may have they have been supporting their partners through a long illness and may have been thinking about their eventual death for a long time (MacKenzie, n.d.). Discussing preparatory grief with your client, if you suspect they have been experiencing it, may bring clarity and comfort to them.
also have to contend with deep loneliness, the loss of physical intimacy, and the loss of support in a wide range of areas (Cruse Bereavement Support, 2022). The loss of a partner may mean the loss of financial support, having to figure out new childcare solutions, or moving into an assisted living facility if the bereaved is elderly and their partner was supporting them. Although it may not feel like the most substantive or intense part of what your client is going through, helping a widow or widower take care of logistical issues arising from their loss may The experience of grief for the elderly With old age comes a greater likelihood of losing a spouse and friends. This places a heavier burden on the elderly who are also more vulnerable to the negative effects of loss. For instance, while it is always possible that any of your clients will experience physical symptoms because of their grief, this is especially likely among the elderly (Cruse Bereavement Support, 2022). Headaches, chest pain, and palpitations are the most common symptoms (Hashim, et al., 2013), but grief and grief-related stress can also weaken the immune systems of the elderly (Mendoza, n.d.). Bereavement may also negatively impact cognitive function for the elderly, limiting their ability to pay attention, process new information, and express themselves fluently. It may also heighten the chances of developing The experience of grief for children Supporting a child and a family with children in a time of bereavement presents unique challenges, especially if the loved one lost was a child’s caregiver. Children grieve differently than adults, and differently as they age (Lyness, 2021). A child may move unpredictably between easily recognizable grief and play, or another activity that may not seem compatible with grief. However, just because a child does not look like they are grieving, and may indeed be playing and laughing, they aren’t necessarily done with grieving. One of the trickiest aspects of supporting a family with children as they grieve is that the child’s family may lack experience in dealing with death, while the funeral director may lack experience dealing with children, and certainly with any particular children. Therefore, a collaboration is called for in which family and funeral director learn from each other to whatever extent the family is willing, about how to best support a family’s children during bereavement. Depending on their age and emotional development, a child may not understand what death is. Even with the best of intentions, an adult’s attempt to explain a concept too complicated for a young child can sometimes go awry, while a simple “death is when the body stops working” may not truly address what’s on a child’s mind or help them understand why their grandparent, parent, sibling, or friend is not coming home. Adult family members should be encouraged to explain the death to children themselves and allow children to participate in services and rituals to the extent the children are comfortable doing so. In addition to explaining death to a child, it’s important to listen to a child’s thoughts and feelings on the subject. Children can deal with and express their feelings and at this time in many ways, and adults have the opportunity to facilitate a child expressing their grief, for instance by ● Watching videos or reading stories together with themes of change and loss. Grieving the loss of a pet Funeral directors are increasingly seeing demand for memorials and other services for pets. This is yet another way for the profession to serve its public and help ease life’s trials. The grief of a pet owner may be an example of “disenfranchised grief,” grief that is not necessarily recognized or accepted by a bereaved person’s community, since some people may dismiss grief over the loss of a pet as trivial. But those who have lost a
● Creating a memorial together. ● Keeping a family journal.
The death of a loved one, its full significance, and the course of events that follow it may be unfamiliar, unpredictable, and bewildering for a child. One way to ease a child’s experience of loss is to help make the events following a loved one’s death more predictable (Lyness, 2021). This includes explaining any changes to a child’s routine or living situation due to the funeral or the death itself and the feelings that may arise for the child or those around them in the wake of the death. It also includes the different aspects of the funeral process in general and, in particular, the presence of an open casket or cremation, if either of those is to happen. The sight of a loved one laid to rest in an open casket could come as a shock to a child who is not expecting it. With the right conversation in advance, it can mean a final chance to say goodbye, but that conversation is crucial. Likewise, cremation, particularly if a child is young enough, may not be familiar or easy to understand. It is a good idea to make sure children understand that their deceased loved one will not be in pain and that the cremation process is a normal part of funerals. Equally important is not over-explaining these things to children who are old enough to understand already. A child’s family will be in the best position to gauge the level of explanation their child needs, but they may not have thought through all the aspects of the funeral. That is where a funeral director can provide an essential service to a grieving family. Another thing that can help children feel as safe and calm as possible in the time following bereavement is giving them a role. Parents may suggest to their child that they could greet guests at the funeral parlor door, choose songs to be played during a memorial service, or something similar that the child comes up with. If the child likes the idea of taking on a role during the funeral service, making space for them to do so may help the funeral director better serve grieving families. pet can go through the same stages of grief as those who lose a person in their lives (Allen, 2023). Offering dedicated facilities for pet services sends the message to those who have pets that their concern about their pet’s death is valid. In addition to grief at a pet’s loss and concerns about the validity of that grief, a pet owner may struggle with feelings of guilt if they have chosen to euthanize their pet. Being attentive to
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