Asked and Answered

Telling someone about the death of a family member is difficult for most people, but it is even more challenging when the person you have to tell has dementia. Your approach will depend on the extent of the person's disease, where the person is at and how much they remember. Often the first thought is to try to protect the person with dementia... 

Your friend most likely needs to talk about his feelings and frustrations. Listening may be the support he needs the most. Consider offering to call regularly to check in. Ask what time is best to call, as he likely has a schedule that needs to be kept. Also ask how often he’d like you to call. He may be busy, and can only manage one call... 

Few of us have much experience talking about death and dying. It’s normal to be afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting someone. If we don’t know what to say, we often don’t say anything and avoid the whole situation. This may be why families of people who are dying notice that friends no longer call or visit. Yet, the time when people... 

Living with a loved one who has a progressive cancer disease is stressful and exhausting. It affects each family member differently, and everyone has his or her own reaction. Often, the way we respond to one another becomes more intense as the stress of the situation increases. Your daughter’s behaviour, which may appear defensive and self-focused,...