Helping a Senior Loved One Deal with the Death of a Spouse

Helping a senior loved one deal with the death of a spouse can be a very difficult thing because losing someone that you love is always very difficult. It also becomes harder at an older age because of the fact that seniors often have formed life long bonds and do not have the time to form such a bond again. Although this is a hard situation, it is very possible to help a senior loved one deal with the death of a spouse. Last year my grandfather passed away and I was placed in the position of helping my grandmother deal with the passing of someone that she spent 40 years of her life with. This is a difficult thing to deal with but you can help them live a happy life if you deal with the situation as I did, based on my own personal experience and having successfully helped my grandmother deal with the passing of her husband.

You will need to sit down and talk to the senior and find out how bad they are feeling about the passing of their loved one. You should take this time to ask them if they think that removing any pictures from around the house would be helpful. You could also ask them what it is that they enjoy because you will need to find activities that they enjoy for later use in dealing with this problem. However, it is important for you to know how badly they feel and to have someone available to stay with them during the night for at least the next month in case they are feeling very depressed and the extra company will help to lift their spirits.

Next, you should remove any pictures that would be a reminder of the spouse because keeping pictures around will only create depression and serve as a reminder of their loss. I have found that for my grandmother it was helpful to remove the pictures and just keep one in the house. However, others may feel better by keeping the pictures because it creates stability and gets rid of an unsure feeling that they experience. It depends on the person and you should ask them what would make them feel better.

However, it is important that you monitor the senior's feelings and if you notice they are constantly depressed then you should take them to see a therapist so they can cope with or get rid of the feelings of depression. Also, finding them a hobby and activity that they enjoy will make them friends and help them fight depression by building new connections.