Funeral Home Tips: Helping Your Grieving Friend

Most people don’t know how to act around death and those suffering from a loss. Be the best friend you can be to a grieving loved one in any Piscataway, NJ funeral home by using the following tips to help a grieving friend.

1) Make a Connection: It may feel simpler or more respectful to give a grieving friend space, but they actually need even more intimacy and support.  A hug, kind word, or a supportive presence can go a long way.

2) Empathize and Share: It can be comforting to hear similar bereavement stories; so don’t be afraid to talk about your own loss. Just don’t dominate the conversation with your story.

3) Don’t Talk About A Dead Pet: Do NOT compare their loss to your loss of a pet.

4) Let the Tears Flow: Expressing grief, like crying, is an important part of healing. Allow your friend to cry if he needs to, and just be there offering a hug or tissues, or even just a calming presence.

5) Keep Going: Grief doesn’t stop after the bereaved leave the funeral home; so neither should your support. Follow up in the coming weeks and months. A quick phone call, text or email is meaningful.

6) Help Out: Continue the support by offering help with everyday tasks. Grief can make even the smallest tasks impossible, so offering to do things like grocery shopping, cooking a meal, or mowing the lawn is a wonderful help.

7) Help With the Funeral: It can be hard to plan and host a funeral; so helping out is a great way to show love and support. Even a small thing like bringing flowers or offering to go with them to sign the death certificate can make a big difference.

8) Leave Religion Out of It: Try not to mention religion unless the bereaved do first. Everyone has different religious beliefs, and you can easily accidentally offend, especially when nerves are short at the funeral home.

9) Laugh: Don’t be afraid of making them laugh. Tell happy memories of the deceased or enjoyable anecdotes to provide a different kind of emotional release.

10) Talk About the Deceased: Don’t be afraid to talk about the deceased. It will help to know that the deceased isn’t gone from everyone’s thoughts and memories.

11) Don’t Forget: Take note of important dates like birthdays or anniversaries and be sure to reach out around those times, as grief doesn’t stop when it’s convenient.

12) Remind Them They’re Not Alone: Be sure to mention that you understand the grieving process is lengthy and that you will be there as long as they need you.

Plinton Curry Funeral Home

Plinton Curry Funeral Home has two locations: 411 West Broad Street, Westfield NJ 07090 and 428 Elizabeth Street, Somerset NJ 08873. Each location is convenient for Piscataway, NJ access so we can provide superior funeral home services for you and your family.

If you want more information about what we do and how we can help, give us a call at 908-232-6869 or 732-469-3300.