How Home Care can Help Manage Your Grief in Oakbrook, IL

Everyone deals with loss and grief differently. However, as we age, death comes more often and is faced on a much more regular basis. The most difficult loss is the loss of a spouse; of course, who has grown old with you and shared your life.

There are different stages of grief which everyone goes through, not necessarily in order and not always every stage is felt by everyone. If your spouse has passed away, you may first feel shock and denial. It’s difficult to accept your loved one is gone and is no longer with you. You may want to deny this by changing the subject if it is brought up, refusing to deal with aspects of the burial, or not talking about anybody’s death if brought up by other people.

The second stage is pain and guilt. In this stage you may feel guilty because you are still alive and the loved one is gone. If your spouse was in better health, you may think you should’ve died first.

The third stage is anger. You are angry because your spouse has died and left you behind. You are now alone, and you have to deal with day to day living without them. You feel it isn’t fair, and you are angry at your loved one.

The fourth stage is depression. You are feeling depressed maybe because your own health is ailing, and you realize you’re getting close to death yourself.

The fifth stage is acceptance. You have accepted your loved one is gone but life does go on. You have decided life is worth living even without your loved one, and you’re ready to move on.

So what happens when you are stuck in one of the stages of grief and can’t move further? Shared grief can draw people together, so try to spend time with your family and loved ones. See if talking about your loved one helps with the grief. If you feel you are becoming depressed, talk with a counselor who deals with grief.

If you find yourself not able to take care of yourself or handle day to day tasks, you may want to consider outside help. You could hire a home care service to help you with the care of your home and cooking meals for this. You may not feel like cooking but if someone else prepares it and eats with you, it may help you to get your appetite back. A caregiver who is trained to handle stages of grief and interact gently with you may help you get back on your feet. Your caregiver could go for walks with you or just sit quietly while you reminisce about your loved one too. They are there to comfort you and help you until you can deal with life again.

Losing a loved one is difficult but with help you can get through it and feel like living again.