Emotional support– Staff should give you time alone or with family members. This gives you time to grieve in private but still have help if you need it. They can offer to sit with you for a while if you are on your own. They can give you contact information for local services which can give emotional help and advice after a bereavement.
Practical support– Advice to help you make funeral arrangements, if appropriate and the paperwork you will need such as death certificates. To help you understand the process of contacting the registrar.
Physical support– to help you with any physical signs of grief in the hours after the bereavement such as shock. Hospital staff can contact your GP if you wish
Understanding grief– to help you make some sense of your emotions and actions at this time. The way each person responds is very personal to them but there are common thoughts and stages of grief such as denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. These stages take time and you may feel all or none of these apply to you. You will feel different when you are with other people or at different times during the grief process. You may want to be alone for a while or seek company. You may want to talk to someone weeks or months after the bereavement when you are ready. The strongest emotions will gradually reduce in intensity and frequency over time. It is common that you may feel quite low and vulnerable sometimes. There are no right or wrong ways to grieve but it does take time to adjust.
