How to Assist Someone After the Death of a Parent

Allowing a person talk about her parent will offer support.

Losing a parent can cause one of the most traumatic experiences of a person's life. The grief can overtake a person without him realizing it. Offering support may help him begin to heal. However, many with good intentions can add to a person's grief because they do not understand how to offer appropriate support. Learning how to offer support will help preserve your relationship with the griever and give him must needed assistance.

Instructions

1. Listen. Ohio State University Family and Consumer Sciences Department states that listening to someone experiencing grief may provide the best support. If someone's parent dies, listen as she talks about concerns, fears and emotions. Avoid trying to give answers or trite statements.

2. Ask about the parent. The grieving person may need to talk about funny stories involving his parent. He may need to share the positive things that he remembers and the relationship they shared. This will help him process the grief while preserving the parent's memory.

3. Offer a hug. When someone loses a parent, she has lost one of the main members of her support system. Giving that person a hug establishes you as a member of that support system. If she starts crying when you hug her, let her cry. A hug provides a healthy atmosphere for the griever, according to education.com.

4. Meet tangible needs. Someone who recently has experienced the death of a parent may not have time to clean or cook. Offer to make meals for his family or clean the house. This will allow his life to continue and gives him the opportunity to experience the grief for as long as he needs.

5. Sit in silence. A grieving person may need to sit in silence and simply think about her parent. Offer to sit with her. This gives her support without having to have conversation, according to Helpguide.org.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid telling the griever that you understand how she feels. This statement will not help her move forward in the grieving process.

References

• Education: Supporting Someone Who is Grieving
• Help Guide: Supporting a Grieving Person
• Ohio State University Family and Consumer Sciences: Helping Others Cope With Grief

Resources

• Berkeley Parents Network: Grief and Loss-Support Groups & Therapists