5 Practical Ways to Help a Friend Who's Grieving The Death of Someone Close

Death is a universal part of the human experience. As such, it is inevitable that we will all be touched by the loss of a loved one at some point. When someone you are close to experiences such a loss, there are many emotions swirling about: disbelief, deep sorrow, fear, confusion, and a huge sense of loss. It is also during this time that your friend will be required to make many decisions and arrangements regarding their deceased loved one. So grab a pen and paper along with all the strength you can muster and offer one or all of these services to your grieving friend.

1. Immediately following the death, offer to contact anyone that your friend would like to have notified.
Usually the immediate family is informed about the death quite quickly, but there are many friends and extended family members that will need to be notified as well, and this can be an overwhelming task for a grieving person. There may also be appointments to be canceled or rescheduled, schools to be called if they have children, sitters to be arranged, etc. Handling these phone calls for your friend will be an invaluable gift during a incredibly trying time.

2. Offer to care for children, pets, houseplants - whom or whatever needs caring for.
Do the laundry, pick up groceries and dry cleaning, vacuum the carpet, bring in the paper and the mail, walk the dog. Just fill in the gap between all that needs to be done and the reality of what can get done under the circumstances.

3. Offer to accompany and/or drive your grieving friend wherever they need to go.
Shortly after the death, your friend will have to go places, meet with people, and navigate unfamiliar territory, both physically and emotionally. Having a trusted friend at their side will help ease the feeling that they are in this all alone and remind them that your support is a consistent presence in their life.