- Approach them. Talk about their loved one. Share memories with them.
- Sit with them. Hold their hand and listen. Let them cry or laugh about their loved one with you.
- Grieve with them. Show them how much you still miss their loved one. Don’t be afraid to make them sad… they already are.
- Keep checking on them – a week after, a month after, a year after, and beyond.
- Call and leave a message or send a brief note or card.
- Send gift certificates to restaurants or grocery stores.
- Bring dinners over that can be frozen.
- Donate to a charity in their loved one’s honor.
- Understand when they don’t act “normal”. Their lives are forever changed.
- Please do not turn away from bereaved parents when you see them in stores or at events. Just simply walk by them with a kind smile and briefly say something like, “I am thinking of you,” or “We love you.” There are no magic words but turning away from them can be devastating.
- Take the surviving children out to a movie, mall, or invite them for a sleepover. Let them experience “normal” for a while.
- Don’t just say “Call if you need anything.” Odds are that they will not feel comfortable calling, so you call them instead. You would be amazed at what a brief phone call can do to someone’s spirits.
- Offer to do specific chores for them:
- Mow their yard
- Drop off groceries, paper products, household supplies
- Do errands
- Offer to write thank you notes
- Walk their pets
- Do their laundry (if acceptable)
- Bring their children to practice, dance, etc.
- Drop off or send them small mementos or picture frames.
- Request a mass/religious observance in memory of their loved one.
- Look through your own photos and find some shots of their loved one. Make copies and give them to the family. They will look at them when they are ready, and it will be almost like a new memory for them.
- Remember them on their loved one’s, birthday, anniversary date or on holidays. Send a simple card expressing your love for them and for their loved one. Grief resurfaces on these special occasions, no matter how many years have gone by.
- Gifts That May Bring Comfort: - Molly Bears is a 501(c)3 organization that provides weighted teddy bears in memory of your baby. They make the bears equal the weight of your angel. If weight is unknown, such as for a miscarriage, they can use an approximate weight for the gestational age of the baby. Visit MollyBears.org for more information.
To learn more about how we may be able to help you in your time of need, please contact us today by calling 585-629-6660 or sending an email through our contact page.