Tag Archives: coping with death

Death of the Very Elderly

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Recently a relative of mine lost her mother. The deceased was exactly 100 years old. Certainly she had lived a full and happy life and was relatively healthy, even in her declining years. The following are the comments that most of the mourners relayed to my relative and her responses to them: “”Yes, Mum had a long life”, “Yes, Mum was lucky to live so long”, “Yes, Mum, was pretty healthy till the end”. But there was one mourner who tackled the real issue. She said to my relative: “I’m so sorry, you will miss your mother”. And that was … Continue reading →

Mental Health Week in Review: September 30-October 7

Recently we have been talking about death and how to cope with both the overwhelming feelings of despair that accompany the end of a life. We also looked at just what is a reasonable time spam to get over the loss of a much loved friend or family member. In How Long Does It Take to Get Over a Death I asked readers to estimate what they thought was a standard time to really come to grips with loss through death. The standard benchmark suggested by mental health experts is a minimum of a year. Yet society seldom gives us … Continue reading →

Coping with Death

We all have to cope with death. As the saying goes: “No one gets out of this world alive!” We know it must inevitably happen yet we are often not educated or prepared for it when it does come. We cope with the death of loved ones largely by avoiding its certainty for as long as possible, and hope that when the time comes we will somehow muddle through it. There is probably nothing in life we prepare for less, and yet there’s nothing in life that is more inevitable. When you think about it, it’s a funny way to … Continue reading →