Letting People Know

Letting People Know

When looking at the best way to let friends and family know, there are two aspects to bear in mind:

• The emotional upset and grief of telling people and coping with their reactions to the news
• The practical difficulties of getting in touch with what may be a large group of people

The thought of passing on the news of a death may be daunting and overwhelming, even more so where there are a lot of people to tell fairly quickly.

• Some people may be told face-to face, for example friends, family and neighbours living close by. Other may have to be told with a phone-call, if living further away or even abroad.
• If you have a large family or wide circle of friends, some of the responsibility for passing on the news to those close to you may be delegated to children or other family members.
• In terms of wording it is best to keep the message clear and simple
• In terms of dealing with peoples reactions, you face the challenge of dealing with the grief of others as well as your own feelings. Be prepared for the fact that people may not respond in the way you might expect, they may be embarrassed or say something awkward.

We are on hand and also offer a trained Grief Support Advisor for support should you require.