Preparing for a loved one's death is never easy. It can help to plan so you'll be better equipped with how to handle the experience when the time comes. You can prepare as much as you can and still feel overwhelmed by the loss when it happens, and that's natural. Know that you are not alone.
Anticipatory grief is feelings of grief or loss that are felt before the loss actually happens. People facing their own death or the death of a loved one may experience anticipatory grief.
Visions and Hallucinations
Visual or auditory hallucinations are often part of the dying experience. The appearance of family members or loved ones who have died is common. These visions are considered normal. The dying may turn their focus to “another world” and talk to people or see things that others do not see.
A Swiss American psychiatrist and pioneer of studies on dying people, Kübler-Ross wrote “On Death and Dying,” the 1969 book in which she proposed the patient-focused, death-adjustment pattern, the “Five Stages of Grief.” Those stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
We can often tell our deceased loved ones are around us when we smell their perfume, flowers, cigar or cigarette smoke, or any other familiar smell they had. They make songs come on at the perfect time. We know they are around when their favorite songs come on at the right time with the exact words we need to hear.
Accepting death of a loved one is always difficult, but some can have more of an impact than others. When your relationship with the deceased was particularly close it can take significantly longer to complete the grieving process. It can be especially difficult for a parent to lose a child.
The emotional discomfort and interpersonal conflicts go hand in hand in causing suffering at the end of life. Financial instability, marital discord, conflicts with family members, and an inability to get one's affairs in order before death are common causes of total pain.
What is an end-of-life rally? When a patient who has been steadily declining has a sudden burst of energy, this is called an end-of-life rally or terminal lucidity. They may begin speaking or even eating and drinking again.
One final bit of advice, “Don't tell a grieving person how to feel. They may need to be vulnerable. They may need to cry for days on end,” wrote Kathryn Janus. In other words, don't say things like, “Stay strong” or “Be strong.”
What does the Bible say about cremation? According to most Biblical study websites, there is no explicit scriptural command for or against cremation. There are no passages that forbid cremation, according to most Biblical scholars.
We enter heaven immediately upon our death, or our souls sleep until the second coming of Christ and the accompanying resurrection. Most have chosen to believe what the Bible appears to overwhelmingly propose: our souls (spirits) penetrate heaven immediately after we take our final breath.
Talk or write to them
People have continued to talk to the people they love after they've died for time immemorial. Great comfort can be found in talking to your loved one in the usual way… whether that's updating them on what's happening in the family, the wider world or the garden.
Whether it's sharing our problems, reminiscing or just having a good old gossip, talking can bring us closer. So when a loved one dies, it makes sense that talking to them can bring us comfort and help us feel connected to them. If you find yourself chatting to someone who's died, you're not alone.
What is the hardest stage of grief? Depression is usually the longest and most difficult stage of grief. Depression can be a long and difficult stage in the grieving process, but it's also when people feel their deepest sadness.
Practice the three C's
As you build a plan, consider the “three Cs”: choose, connect, communicate. Choose: Choose what's best for you. Even during dark bouts of grief, you still possess the dignity of choice. “Grief often brings the sense of loss of control,” said Julie.
Complicated grief is like being in an ongoing, heightened state of mourning that keeps you from healing. Signs and symptoms of complicated grief may include: Intense sorrow, pain and rumination over the loss of your loved one. Focus on little else but your loved one's death.
In time, the heart stops and they stop breathing. Within a few minutes, their brain stops functioning entirely and their skin starts to cool. At this point, they have died.