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How to care for someone who is grieving – easy read guide

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This document is in Easy read and has photos to help you understand how to care for someone who has had a loss.

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You might want someone to help you look at this Easy Read Guide so you can talk about it together.

This might be:

A friend

A carer

A family member

Sad

Angry

Confused

Numb

Numb means having no feelings when something bad happens.

Lonely

Guilty

The person you care about might also:

Cry alot

Have trouble sleeping

Not want to eat

Have problems doing daily tasks

These feelings and actions are called grief.

It can be hard to know what to do for the person you care about.

It can be hard to know how to look after yourself at the same time.

Your support will not fix the loss but you can support the person you care about while they grieve.

Recognise their pain and loss

Go to the funeral

Send flowers

Send a text

Visit

Other support

You can ask the other friends and family members of the person you care about what they might need.

Decide what you think the person you care about might want.

Talk about the loss

Avoid empty sayings like time heals all wounds.

If you feel lost for words it is okay to be honest.

Expect the unexpected

People feel and show their grief in lots of ways.

Tell the person that you care about them.

Let them know that their feelings are normal.

Stay by their side

Remember you might need to support the person you care about for months or years after their loss.

Remember the feelings of a person you care about can change a lot.

Remember you might need to support the person you care about for months or years after their loss

Look after yourself

Be kind to yourself

Understand what you can handle and do not do more than that.

Remind yourself that their feelings about their loss are not yours.

Keep moving

Staying active can help your mind and body stay strong.

Exercise can be good activity to do with the person you care about.

Where can you get help

To speak to a trained volunteer you can call griefline on 1300 845 745.

To connect with others online go on the griefline forums at griefline.org.au/forums/