Tag Archives: death and grief

Death of the Very Elderly

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Recently a relative of mine lost her mother. The deceased was exactly 100 years old. Certainly she had lived a full and happy life and was relatively healthy, even in her declining years. The following are the comments that most of the mourners relayed to my relative and her responses to them: “”Yes, Mum had a long life”, “Yes, Mum was lucky to live so long”, “Yes, Mum, was pretty healthy till the end”. But there was one mourner who tackled the real issue. She said to my relative: “I’m so sorry, you will miss your mother”. And that was … Continue reading →

Preparing Yourself for the Death of a Parent

Many people fear the death of a much-loved parent and wonder how they will cope when the event arrives. After all, losing a mother or a father is a once in a lifetime occurrence since we are only given one parent. That parent may be a birth parent or a much loved step-parent who took over when our biological parent was unavailable for a variety of reasons. Whatever, the case, it is a difficult milestone in our lives to lose a parent. Everyone copes with this event in different ways – not all of them healthy. But to help minimize … Continue reading →

How Long Does It Take to Get Over a Death?

Well, what’s your guess? Six weeks, six months, a year? Six years? Or all of the above? Mental health experts agree that it takes a minimum of one year to come to grips with the death of a close family member. And that does not mean that at the end of a year one is really “over it.” What it does mean is that, after one year, all of the important milestones have been passed, that is, the first birthday, Christmas, wedding anniversary, Father’s Day or Mother’s Day. There has also been time for the routine of life to be … Continue reading →

Coping with Death

We all have to cope with death. As the saying goes: “No one gets out of this world alive!” We know it must inevitably happen yet we are often not educated or prepared for it when it does come. We cope with the death of loved ones largely by avoiding its certainty for as long as possible, and hope that when the time comes we will somehow muddle through it. There is probably nothing in life we prepare for less, and yet there’s nothing in life that is more inevitable. When you think about it, it’s a funny way to … Continue reading →