5 Ways To Help A Loved One Struggling With Loss

Losing a loved one changes your life forever. When someone you love has recently suffered a loss, you may not know how to offer comfort. This article highlights five ways to help a loved one struggling with loss.

1. Listen, don’t relate.

Sometimes the best thing you can offer someone struggling with loss is your ear. You should assure the person that you will listen if they ever want to talk. Do not force them or nudge them to talk. Instead, just assure them that you will listen.

When listening to them, do not try to relate to their experience. It is important to remember that everyone does not process loss in the same manner. So, when you listen, be impartial, empathetic, and kind.

2. Respect the person’s process.

There isn’t any right or wrong way to process grief. Some people grieve by remembering the good times they have spent with their loved ones. Others grieve by making gestures or openly talking. Throughout this, it is important to support and respect them.

Do not tell them they “should grieve” by doing something, such as visiting their grave, going to therapy, or any other method. Instead, respect them to understand what they want and give help every time they ask.

3. Do not pepper them with questions.

When you ask, “how are you?” they won’t always say, “I am not fine.” Instead, ask, “how are you feeling today” or “how are you feeling right now”? Accept their response, and do not pressure them to elaborate if they do not wish to.

Sometimes, your loved one may give the same answer to every question, or they may deflect it. If this happens, do not get upset. Instead, listen patiently and compassionately.

4. Give space and stay connected.

Sometimes your loved one may want to spend some time alone to process their feelings or memories. Adapting to normal life after suffering a loss is difficult. Therefore, allow them this space but stay connected.

Find a way to communicate that helps you keep in touch but gives them their space. For example, some people may find comfort in a simple text message, while others would want you to drop in. Find a method of communication that they are most comfortable with.

5. Offer assistance.

Sometimes when a loved one struggles with loss, everyday chores can become difficult. Instead of waiting for them to ask for help, ask them whether you can do any chores for them.

Planning a funeral can be a difficult task to manage when grieving. Offer your assistance in planning the funeral. If they refuse, offer assistance doing other household chores so that they can focus on making funeral arrangements. For example, you can offer to take care of their pets, do laundry, or grocery shopping. Simple chores like these can feel overwhelming.

If you want to know more ways you can help your loved one struggling with a loss, contact our experts at Found and Sons. Our expertise and insights can help you support your loved one through a difficult time.

What is Included in a Funeral Service?

Sadly, there will be a time where most of us have to deal with burying a loved one and coordinating their funeral. A funeral service helps families and loved ones honor the memories of the deceased and provide support to each other. Planning the service can be an emotional and exhausting experience, but knowing the process and understanding what it involves can make it a little less difficult. Read on to know what is included in a funeral service.

What Is Included?

Planning a funeral is a highly personal process. Your decisions will be shaped by your life experiences, relationship to the deceased, what the deceased wanted, what you can afford, and various other factors. Typically, a funeral service will include the following:

Placement and writing of an obituary in a local paper.
Use of the funeral home for a service.
Preparation of the body for burial. This includes embalming and clothing the deceased.
Viewing service.
Transportation services from the funeral home to the cemetery. In some cases, this may involve coordinating with local authorities to plan the traffic routes.
Burial at the gravesite.

These are typical costs, but there are often optional costs, such as purchasing a tombstone from the funeral home directly and coordinating an after-funeral event. There may also be an extended graveside service.

Cremation vs. Burial

When planning the funeral, it’s important to decide the form of final body disposition. Knowing the options can help you make an informed decision. Burial and cremation are the most commonly used methods.

With a burial, your loved one is embalmed, placed in a casket, and buried in a cemetery plot. This involves digging the grave, lowering the casket, and purchasing a tombstone.

In cremation, your loved ones’ remains are incinerated, and the ashes are returned to you. You can spread the ashes in your loved ones’ favorite place or press them into a specific object or item, like jewelry, to feel closer to your loved one.

Burials typically involve more work and are thus more expensive, as they often involve a graveside service and ceremony.

Different Definitions

The most important thing to realize when preparing for a funeral is that different homes may have different definitions of what is included in a funeral service. In most cases, you might be surprised by the costs, but the burial of a loved one is a terrible moment. Make sure you have a good idea of what you are purchasing before signing any contract. At Found and Sons, we present our customers with an itemized contract before they finalize any plans. We know that losing a loved one is extremely painful. That’s why we try to make it easier for people to plan and execute a funeral that will honor the deceased.

If you live in Culpeper or Fredericksburg, VA, and are looking for a compassionate, family-run business to manage your funeral service, consider Found and Sons Funeral Chapels & Cremation Service. At Found and Sons, we can coordinate all aspects of the funeral, everything from the obituary to the final goodbye. Find more information today by visiting our website or calling us at 1-800-207-3530.

Rolling Up Our Sleeves

We Did It!

Last Friday we hosted our third blood drive at our Culpeper Chapel. Our blood drive goal was to collect 24 units of blood and thankfully, we exceeded our goal by ten extra units of blood! The support of our community during this time has been inspiring. To everyone who attended the drive, thank you for donating. We had no idea how important this drive would be when we scheduled it 3 months ago.

Right now, the American Red Cross has an ongoing critical need for blood product donations as uncertainties remain during this coronavirus pandemic. Blood drives continue to be canceled at an alarming rate and patients need a sufficient blood supply throughout the many weeks of this crisis and beyond. Healthy individuals are needed to schedule an appointment to give in the days and weeks ahead to help patients counting on lifesaving blood, platelets or AB Elite plasma. If you weren’t able to donate at our drive, we encourage you to donate at other drives within Culpeper and Fredericksburg.

Doug and Carolyn Found have been giving blood consistently since Doug was 26!

Nothing but smiles from these donors!

Type O, A Negative or B Negative Donors

If you are the Type O, A Negative, or B Negative you have the ability to give back even more through a Power Red donation. Power Red is similar to a whole blood donation, except a special machine is used to allow you to safely donate two units of red blood cells during one donation while returning your plasma and platelets to you.

Why should you do it? You may already know about the ongoing need for blood and the importance of your blood donations. Whole blood donations contain red blood cells, platelets, plasma, and white blood cells. Red blood cells are the most frequently used blood component and are needed by almost every type of patient requiring transfusion. If you meet certain criteria, Power Red allows you to safely donate two units of red cells during one appointment as an automated donation process. It is as safe as a whole blood donation.
How is it different? During your Power Red, blood is drawn from one arm through an automated process. The machine separates and collects two units of red cells and then safely returns the remaining blood components, along with some saline, back to you through the same arm.
Save time and make your blood donation go further: If you are extremely busy, committed to donating blood and an eligible type O, A negative or B negative donor, Power Red may be ideal for you. Each procedure lets you give more of the product that is needed most by patients. Power Red (double red cell donation) takes approximately 30 minutes longer than a whole blood donation and you can donate approximately every four months.
Feel better: With all of your platelets and plasma returned to you along with some saline, you don’t lose the liquid portion of your blood and may feel more hydrated after your donation.

We hope that everyone is doing well during this time of uncertainty. To learn more about our upcoming drives and to get signed up early, contact Todd Breeden at [email protected]. Until next time, #stayhome, #staysafe, and #staypositive.

Always There, No Matter How Far

You Don’t Need to Be Close to Have Closure

One of the hardest things we may endure in life is losing a loved one. During the grieving process, many people find the closure they need by attending the funeral. Unfortunately, due to varying circumstances, your loved ones may not be able to attend the funeral. This inadvertently may cause more grief and may lead to feelings of guilt.

To make things easier for those who are unable to attend, Found and Sons has integrated a live-streaming feature that friends and family can utilize. Your friends and family now have the ability to be there for the service no matter the circumstances preventing them from attending. While watching a live-stream of their loved one’s service, they will have the ability to select between two cameras. One camera is positioned to focus on the speaker at the podium and to view the casket or urn. The second camera allows for an overall view from the back of the chapel and also allows viewers to see the casket exit with the pallbearers.

Invitation to View the Service

Once a director has scheduled the service to be live-streamed, an email will be sent to designated family members. The email can then be forwarded and shared with whomever you choose to share the invitation with. Found and Sons also provide the option of putting the link to view the service on your loved one’s obituary page. Since your privacy is important to us, this option is entirely up to you.

Viewing the Service Details and Obituary

By clicking on the link, you will be taken to a new screen. Depending on what time you click the link, it will either display a picture of your loved one or it will be showing the live stream if the service start time has been reached.

Event Tab

Here, you will find details such as the name of the deceased, date of the service, and the time.

Venue Tab

Under this tab, you can see which chapel the service is being held at, the chapel’s phone number, the director’s email address, and the memorial page of the deceased.

Front Camera

This angle provides a closer view of the speaker and arrangement.

Guest Camera

This angle provides an overview of the service.

Found and Sons are excited to provide this new feature for the families we serve. It will give people the opportunity to be a part of something that they otherwise would have missed. In the past, this industry hasn’t been known for technological advancements, so this feature is truly a blessing. Now you can be assured that friends and family, near and far, will be there to honor and celebrate you. If you have been considering pre-planning to make things easier for your family, click here to get started. We are available to answer any questions that you may have.