funeral homes in Chesterfield Township, MI

Helping a Loved One Who is Dying

Before cremation services at funeral homes in Chesterfield Township, MI, your loved one may be diagnosed with a terminal illness or they may have reached the end of treatment options for a chronic disease. You want to help them, but you may not know what you can do that is beneficial.

People are different, and the way that people react to the news that they have a terminal illness or there is no more treatment for a chronic disease is different for every person. Some people will take the news stoically and they will immediately begin to prepare for death. Other people will rage against the dying of the light.

You can help a loved one who is dying by following their lead. If they do not want to talk about death, then you do not talk about it. If they do want to talk about death, then let them guide the conversation.

Another way that you can help a loved one who is dying is to support them. If someone has a terminal illness and they are fighting the diagnosis by exhausting every kind of treatment they can find, sometimes causing more harm than good and making dying much harder, you should not tell them they are wrong, or it is hopeless.

Even if it is obvious that nothing is going to change the fact that your loved one is going to die, they may be clinging to hope that something will change that outcome. You can support them by supporting their hope and encouraging them not to give up hope, even if you know there is nothing that can reverse their disease process.

You can also support your loved one by listening to their fears and concerns. Even the most stoic people will talk about the things in the dying process that concern them, even if death itself does not concern them.

One thing that most dying people wrestle with is getting weaker and becoming more dependent on other people for their most basic needs. You may hear your loved one express regret that they cannot do more for themselves. Your loved one may say they hate being a burden on anyone else.

Instead of dismissing this, you can show support for your loved one by asking them what they would like to be able to do for themselves. You may find that you and other people are doing things for them that they could do and want to do for themselves. This is an opportunity for you to let them be more involved in their care and feel less dependent and burdensome on others.

You can also support your loved one by asking them what things matter most to them with their illness. Your loved one may have a bucket list item that they want to do (and are able to do) before they die. They may want to see certain people before they die. They may want to take care of specific things before they die.

If you can find a way to make sure your loved one has what matters most to them, then you are helping them to be more peaceful as death approaches. One of the hardest things that dying people have to deal with is regrets and things that they feel are not finished or are undone.

There are many things you can do to help a dying loved one. As long as you put them and their needs first, they will guide you and help you help them.

For information about cremation services provided by funeral homes in Chesterfield Township, MI, our caring and knowledgeable staff at Lee-Ellena Funeral is here to assist you.