How to Help the Bereaved

After cremation services in Niagara, WI, it can often seem difficult to know how to help the bereaved family in a way that is supportive, comforting, and encouraging. But there are several things that we can do make a difference to people who are grieving. 

When our friends or loved ones experience death and begin the grieving process, words matter less than actions. Grief – bereavement – can be paralyzing and it can cause neglect of basic every day needs. Our friends and loved ones need us to be there in a practical way to help them until they are back on their feet enough to help themselves. 

One way to help the bereaved is to cook them meals. It's not uncommon, in the South especially, for friends and neighbors to bring food over after someone has died. But consider setting up a meal service for a few weeks, where friends, coworkers, and church members rotate duties providing meals for the family. Leave a cardboard box and a large cooler on the front porch of the family being fed so that people can drop off meals without disturbing the family. While evening meals are usually what is prepared, don't forget breakfast and lunch foods, like cereal or granola bars and yogurt and sandwich bread, deli meats, cheeses, peanut butter, jelly, and chips. Don't to include drinks as well, including ground coffee (include a inexpensive ground coffee filter for Keurig-like coffeemakers), milk, water, and juice, 

Another way to help people who are grieving is to help look after children. If parents normally drive their kids to school, then offer to take them and pick them up for a couple of weeks. Take the children to a movie or to an entertainment arcade for several hours. Not only will this giving grieving parents a break, but it will also help alleviate some of the added stress that the kids may be experiencing because of the death of a loved one. 

Cleaning the house and mowing the lawn is another very practical way to help a grieving family. Many times, during the few days after the death of a loved one, many people will be in and out of the house, and cleaning up after they all leave may seem like an impossible task. Go in and help out. And check back in the first few weeks to see if help is still needed. Neighbors can divvy up the task of mowing the lawn for a few weeks as well. 

Offering emotional support is a huge way to help the bereaved. Offer to sit down over coffee and just listen to them as they feel their grief and work through the grieving process. This should not a short-term offer, but one that is made on a regular basis for an extended period of time. 

If someone is not local to the bereaved, a very good way to help them is by sending gift cards that they can use for anything. Dying can be expensive and the extra financial help lets them know they're not alone and gives them a practical gift. 

A final way to help people are grieving is to acknowledge that they're grieving and that sometimes the grief, even years after the death, will be very strong and that's okay. Grief isn't a straight line, but instead a series of waves that ebb and flow throughout time. 

For guidance on helping the bereaved after cremation services in Niagara, WI, our caring and experienced staff at Jacobs Funeral Homes & Crematory can assist you. You can visit our funeral home at 1244 River St., Niagara, WI 54141, or you can call us today at (715) 251-4100.