What is a common reaction that a family member might have upon losing a loved one?
Quite often a family member may be in a stage of denial. The emotional shock of losing their loved one is so great that they cant accept the fact that they are dead. Listen and dont be critical. People often try to pull the loved one out of denial, but quite often that can be cruel. Listen and allow the loved one to go through the process. Be honest with them if they deny the death out loud, but dont be critical. Listen to them and allow them to process what they are experiencing. At the same time, if after several weeks, the loved one is still denying the death, take stronger steps to help them come out of the denial. If a family stays in denial for too long it can be damaging. I once knew a lady who a year after her husband passed, had still kept his office rented. He had a medical practice and she kept paying rent on the office, and left everything set up for an entire year after. This is an example of an extreme case of denial. The best thing to do when someone is in this situation
