Articles

At the best of times, it can be difficult to talk about the subject of death and of dying. The topic can leave us feeling awkward, uncomfortable and overwhelmed with emotion. This unpleasant cocktail of feelings is only strengthened when we are faced with someone who has recently lost someone close. It can be tough to know what to say, what to do and how to act when you see them for the first time since their loss occurred. Here ...Read More

It would be very easy to blame an aversion to speaking to our loved ones about their death on the famous British stiff upper lip. The truth, however, is that speaking to someone you love about the end of their life is a struggle that is universal and shared. Knowing that someone we love is approaching the end can be hard to accept. While in years to come we might wish we had asked deep and profound questions, in reality ...Read More

A sudden or violent death can leave survivors in a desperate place. When a death is unanticipated there is no time to prepare yourself for the grief that you will face, and you may feel resentful, angry and cheated as well as an immense amount of distress and sadness over the nature of what has happened. In addition to this, there are different types of challenges and pressures that come with a violent death. At the same time as confronting ...Read More

Many people choose to spend the end of their lives at home, rather than in another setting such as a hospital, hospice or a residential care home. There can be many reasons for this decision, but often it is because of the familiarity and good memories that come with a familiar environment. However, living at home in those final days almost always requires the support of others, often with the responsibility for care being passed to loved ones, friends or ...Read More

Talking about the end of our lives isn’t something that people find easy to do and because of this our wishes can often go unheard and unfulfilled. Currently in the UK it is estimated that less than 40% of people have told anyone what they would like to happen to them when they die. Planning for the future isn’t something that we should shy away from. From deciding on where we will live if our health deteriorates and how we ...Read More

One of the biggest fears that we have when we lose someone close to us is that, as time goes on, we will forget who they were. Important aspects of their personality that made them who they are, important events that happened in their lives, and just the simple things that gave them enjoyment can all slip from our memory as we age. Not only do we often want to keep these memories for ourselves, but also for the next ...Read More

If you have discovered that you have an incurable illness that has limited your life expectancy to a short space of time then you will likely be very distressed. There is no right or wrong way to feel when you find out and you may experience a variety of different emotions along the journey. When you first find out you may feel angry, scared and helpless or may have a period of denial where you find it hard to accept ...Read More

Losing a child at any age is almost always one of the hardest and most difficult challenges that we could ever face in our lives. However, the last thing that many parents expect to ever experience is to have to plan a funeral for their baby. Sadly, thousands of cases of still births, sudden infant death syndrome and other infant deaths occur in the UK every year – with the UK having the highest rates in Europe.  This sensitive guide ...Read More

Returning to your home after losing a partner is one of the hardest things that people who have been bereaved have to face.  If your parent has recently lost their partner, don’t be surprised if they need your support.  Returning to a home that was once full of memories and now seems eerily quiet, mixed with anxiety over living independently can be hard to deal with.  Here are some ways that you can help them to readjust and begin to ...Read More

Pause for a moment and consider the events in your life that have shaped who you are today. What are your proudest achievements? What are your biggest regrets? If you had the chance to pass these lessons on to future generations, what exactly would you say? What is a legacy letter? Also known as an ethical will, a farewell letter, a testament or an ‘ending note’, a legacy letter gives you the chance to pass on your most important life ...Read More