Coping with Pet Loss, September 6 - September 12, 2015

Best selection from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Using Story To Explain Pet Loss To Children, http://j.mp/1ENwK70 « Grief Healing

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Using Story To Explain Pet Loss To Children

Death of a pet may be a young family’s first encounter with significant loss, and one of the questions parents will face is how to explain it to their children. Depending upon their age, personality and level of development at the time, children may have a tough time understanding death and the grief that accompanies significant loss, and parents may be at a loss as to how to explain it to them. In an earlier post I shared my belief that one of the most effective ways to help children understand such complicated matters is to tell them a story, or read together one of the many wonderful children’s books available on this topic. Read on here >>>

Caregiving and Hospice, August 30 - September 5, 2015

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Is patient-centered care part of the problem? http://j.mp/1KQe5J2 « Kevin M.D.

Empty Pill Bottles Desperately Needed (Take your meds and help others!), http://j.mp/1hpb3iQ « Ginger Ail

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below.
If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

Understanding and Managing Grief, August 30 - September 5, 2015

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Getting lost in grief, http://j.mp/1N9Bs0u « What to Say When Someone Dies

Wonderful! How to Write a Condolence Note, http://j.mp/1JFloPh « A Cup of Jo

Wisdom from bereaved mom Maria Kubitz: Forgiveness in Grief, http://j.mp/1N84Fc9 « Open to Hope

Voices of Experience: How Grief Can Affect Your Health

Source

For those of you who struggle with guilt regarding self-care, answer this question: What greater gift can you give to those you love than your own wholeness? ~ Shannon Tanner

A Reflection on Self-Care, by Anne M. Gorman

There is no escaping it. Our immune systems take on the blows of grief. It’s not bad enough that we are brought to our knees when we lose a loved one but many have to suffer the devastation of a second loss and that is our own health.

My first reaction to this is WHY? I know there isn’t an answer to that question.

I am a good person. I never thought about what self-care meant for I always took care of myself. As I cared for my dying husband I attended to him as best as I knew how. I did all the things I needed to do to help him as he took his final journey of life except care for myself.

Caregiving and Hospice, August 23 - August 29, 2015

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Must read: What to say to the dying: A hospice chaplain offers some insight, http://j.mp/1fOh33D « ehospice

Why Haven't They Been Listening? An Interview with Zubin Damania, MD aka ZDoggMD, http://j.mp/1JDKS2V « Pallimed

Atul Gawande on America’s urgent need to rethink end-of-life care, http://j.mp/1Il3gIP « The Dallas Morning News

Understanding and Managing Grief, August 23 - August 29, 2015

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Overdose Awareness Day, 2015, http://j.mp/1F0pCz7 « What's Your Grief?

Say Their Names: On Recovering After the Loss of a Child, http://j.mp/1MR9Ywt « Seven Ponds Blog

Pets pick up on cues to comfort the dying and grieving, http://j.mp/1Jnw8ny « The Orange County Register

Mother Loss: When Can I Think of Her Without Crying?

[Reviewed and updated August 12, 2023]

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than 10,000 tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.  ~ Washington Irving

A reader writes: I just wish for the day when I can think of my mom without crying. Why does it seem to last for so long? It’s been five months since my mom passed and I still can’t think of her without bawling. I’ve been very depressed lately and some days are better than others, but it often feels as if I’m on a roller-coaster. I just want to keep it together for my daughter; I don’t like falling apart in front of her.

Caregiving and Hospice, August 16 - August 22, 2015

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

The Lies of Hospice Patients, http://j.mp/1MDdUAS « Pallimed

5 ways to help loved ones adjust to Chronic Illness, http://j.mp/1Jatm4S « About Health

Choice and Control at the End of Life – The 3 Wishes Project, http://j.mp/1PoE8Gj « GeriPal

Understanding and Managing Grief, August 16 - August 22, 2015

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Interview: How Do You Recover After the Loss of a Child? http://j.mp/1NC4N3Y « Seven Ponds Blog

Irish singer's moving video about grief will make you weep, http://j.mp/1Jpx4sP « SheKnows

Understanding the Grief of Suicide, http://j.mp/1PqhCNi « HuffPost Living Canada