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To download any of our bereavement leaflets, please scroll down the page.
To download information on our bereavement pin, click here.
For most of us, the death of someone close is the greatest loss we will suffer in our lives. Making sense of that loss and learning to live in the world without that person is the work of grieving.
The death of someone close may not be a surprise but it is very often a shock, because we cannot truly prepare ourselves for the loss of someone who is important in our lives.
Everyone's loss is different and therefore everyone's grief is different.
In your grieving you may experience feelings such as shock, disbelief, confusion, sadness and loneliness. It is not uncommon to feel irritable and angry. The anger can be directed towards medical or emergency staff, God or even the person who died. Some people experience guilt and regrets about things they might have done or not done. There can also be a sense of relief, that the person's pain is over or that the difficult parts of caring are over.
Grief also has physical effects. You may find that your attention and concentration are poor, that you become absent-minded. You may have difficulty sleeping; you may have very vivid dreams when you do sleep. You may lose your appetite. Expect to feel out-of-sorts. Your body is trying to cope with the big changes in your life.
 Many bereaved people find that at times their loss and grief overwhelm them. They think about what happened, cry and want to talk about the person who died. At other times their energy is taken up with day-to-day events and trying to get on with their lives.
Most people find their own way through the difficulties and pain of bereavement with support from friends and family.
Three levels of bereavement support:
Information
Many bereaved people find it helpful to learn more about bereavement. Our bereavement leaflets may be downloaded below and photocopied if you wish - just click on the title(s). As you will see, two of these are available in Polish* language versions.
The Thérèse Brady Library has compiled a booklet of suggested reading material and useful online resources around each of the bereavement leaflets. The Bereavement Bibliotherapy booklet can be obtained from the Library or downloaded HERE.
[Note that as the leaflets were produced to be printed and folded, they will display on your computer screen in such a way that you need to scroll down to the second page first and begin reading from the top of the left-hand column]
Bereavement support
Some bereaved people find it useful to receive outside support from similarly bereaved people or from trained volunteers. Reasons for this might include having no supportive family members available or having concerns about burdening other family members. Click here for further information.
If you have been bereaved through a hospital death, or through an accident where the person was dead on arrival at the hospital, it is likely that bereavement support will be available through the hospital's social work department'
Bereavement counselling or therapy
A small minority of people experience significant difficulties in their bereavement. These might include: intense and unrelenting grief six months post-bereavement; prolonged agitation; depression; guilt; despair; or serious and persistent thoughts of suicide. If you are concerned, please consult your GP and consider professional help as unlike the more usual grief reactions, these symptoms do not always decrease over time. Click here for further information.
Financial assistance (Department of Social Protection)
Finally, there are certain cases where a bereaved person may be eligible for a bereavement grant, based on PRSI contributions, from the Department of Social Protection. Click here for details.
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Understanding Grief
