Death & Mourning

Dealing with the loss of an infant can be a devastating blow and one that is hard to overcome. When you are a family member or friend of a mother going through such a terrible experience,...

Dealing with the loss of a parent can be devastating at any age. For a child, the loss of a parent is extremely traumatic mixed with feelings of extreme guilt: the sense that they are being...

Hospice care provides many benefits to patients and their families, despite some of the negative perceptions people have of such care. A physician or health care professional will generally look...

When hospice care is indicated for a terminally ill patient, the hospice care providers will create a plan that is specific and individualized for the patient and his family. Hospice plans are...

An obituary serves as one of the last written records of a person's life. It reflects their accomplishments, hobbies, interests and generally lists their family members and close friends....

Within a few hours of person's death, the body begins to stiffen. This is due to the loss of a protein in the muscle tissue known as ATP, which allows muscles to contract. This stiffening process...

Death often sneaks up on us, catching us off guard. I was recently caught off guard by the loss of a childhood friend, my best friend. Time and adult life took us away from one another and I did...

Losing a spouse can be one of the most traumatic events you can ever experience. There is nothing to prepare you for the onslaught of emotions that follows such a loss and many people find...

Many times children suffer pain and sorrow. More than not, that pain and sorrow is caused by a lose. That lose can be from an actual lose of life or from something or someone not being in the...

Senior citizens may be hesitant to become organ donors because they believe they are too old to donate. But experts say that one can never be too old to donate organs.

Adults have the choice to accept or reject suggested medical treatment. A medical directive is a document that records your wishes should you become unable to express the choices yourself.

End of life issues are often complex and heartbreaking but must be dealt with in a positive, controlled manner. Numerous end of life issues could be possible depending on the individual, but most...

You may be sharing days or weeks with a dying person. What can do besides just talk to them? How do you come up with activities that will have real meaning?

When a loved one dies, understanding the written information included on their death certificate is essential. Not only does the death certificate give you the time and location of death, but also...

Death is not something most people like to discuss. However, in nearly all cases, one spouse will die before the other. Those who have been widowed will always say they were very grateful for...

People donate their organs for a variety of reasons, typically centering on a desire to help others. Others are more reluctant, because of fear stemming from a lack of awareness about organ donation.

Hiccups--spasms of the diaphragm leading to audibly irregular breathing--are not life threatening. Hiccups typically occur in limited episodes, going away by themselves or addressed through minor...

When a loved one is terminally ill, or an elderly family member is rapidly declining, and death looms closer with each passing day, there are certain stages caretakers and others close to the...

When someone you know dies, it is a difficult thing to go through. It may to be difficult to think about certain things you need to do for the funeral with all the grieving from your loss. This...

Many people prepare for their own funerary arrangements in the years before their deaths. Making your own funeral arrangements is a way to retain control over your final resting place and...

When a person is approaching the end of life, he may display some or many of the following most common symptoms. These symptoms may indicate end of life is near. Just as one symptom may indicate...

Death is a universal constant---it happens to everyone and everything sooner or later. And even though death is unique to each person, there are certain changes that people go through if they have...

Many times in my life, I have had to tell someone some really sad, bad news. I offer these suggestions to perhaps help you if you have to tell someone some bad news.

Dealing with a parents death is not easy at all.

Children often express grief in short bursts, unlike adults whose emotions are intense and continuous. They don't know how to express their grief verbally and, as a result, may withdraw, begin...

Many people speak of donating their bodies "to science" after they die, but what does this actually mean? Can you choose the medical or scientific processes for which your body is used? What...

Providing end-of-life care for a loved one is not an easy task. In addition to seeing to his or her physical needs you may have many questions and emotional needs of your own to deal with. Try...

Grief is a natural consequence of loss. Whether a person experiences the loss of a loved one, a close friend, a pet , a home or a job, each experiences grief. The impact is different, and each...

Identity theft is on the rise. Even in death, your identity is not safe. In fact, criminals find it easier to steal the identity of someone deceased. To prevent this from happening to someone you...

Learning to live in the world after the death of your spouse will present you with many new challenges. We will learn from all of them. Everyone who loves deeply will grief deeply. This is a...

Grief is a process. Although emotionally painful, it allows a person to come to terms with a loss and to heal emotionally (HelpGuide). It is a natural response, not only to the death of a loved...

Once a patient reaches the stage of her illness and becomes a candidate for hospice care, it's obvious not only to their medical care providers, but to family members and friends as well that the...

Michael Jackson's Autopsy Report will most likely be online within seconds of completion and emailed a thousand times over. Everyone's prying eyes will get to read the post mortem results of The...

Personally helping or knowing anyone going through grief counseling is not easy. People deal with grief in different ways. Every individual's reactions are different when dealing with a loss, and...

weather it has been you or someone you know who is dealing with a death there is ways you can get support or lend support. Most people dont know how to react in those situations. Here are a few...

Death is an uncomfortable subject for many people. Most choose not to think about losing someone until it affects them directly. The death of a spouse is one of the most difficult things you may...

You've just left the doctors office, and you were told your ill. The doctor informed you, that your condition is fatal. On your way home, your not only worried about yourself. Your worried how...

Death is a permanent separation of us from our loved one. But how can one some up the words to write, to express the grief of the tragedy that is suicide. To write any obituary is to realize that...

An obituary is a notice in the newspaper of a death and funeral arrangements. Hopefuly you never need to do this for a friend or family member.

(Mr. Turtledove wrote this article, unfortunately because he experienced this.) I call it my "Year Without a Birthday." Here is what I've learned about recovering from the death of a...

It is very painful when you lose something or someone you love. Whether you loss is a result of death, a relationship break-up,pet death, or trauma, you may experience grief in different ways....

Grief is a natural emotion when there is an unexpected death or a diagnosis of a terminal illness. To help alleviate it, Kara Grief Support provides various services that are designed to ensure...

There is no single correct way to express your gratitude to those who have shared your pain at the loss of a loved one. A card should be mailed to those who sent flowers, attended the funeral or...

Mourning the loss of a loved one is very similar to grieving the loss of a celebrity. Some celebrities we have watched grow from a young person into an adult. With the passing of celebrities, it...

A few years ago my 80-something mother cancelled her annual visit chez moi, here in Provence, because France was in the grip of a granny-killer heat wave, and when the time comes she wants her...

No one likes to think about death. When a loved one has no plan, someone is enevitably stuck with this task. If someone is you, here is a quick introduction to the process.

Basic life support is a type of medical care used on someone with a life-threatening injury or condition until full medical care can be given. An emergency responder or someone trained in BLS can...

Supporting a person who is experiencing grief related to the loss of a loved one can be a daunting task. It can be difficult to know what to say, how to respond or how to help the bereaved. There...

Grief is a universal human experience, yet it remains an extraordinarily complex and difficult-to-define topic. There is no universally accepted definition for grief, but it can be described as...

Whatever you may be holding onto,whether it is a relationship that is going no where, a bad job, guilt, regret, remorse, or something as simple as a piece of clothing, sometimes you need to just...