What to Do When a Loved One Dies: A Practical and Compassionate Guide to Dealing With Death on Life's Terms - Softcover

About the Author

A California resident for most of her life, Eva Shaw is known nationally and internationally for well-written, informational and entertaining books. For the Love of Children (Health Communications, Spring 1998) is the latest book by Shaw.

She has written more than thirty books and an excess of 1000 magazine articles and columns. She teaches writing and communications at UC Riverside and San Diego, and Coleman College. She's been featured on such shows as Leeza, Maury Povich, and CNN in her capacity as a grief expert. Eva holds a master's degree in Interpersonal Studies and a doctorate in Eschatology. She is a memeber of the prestigious American Society of Journalists and Authors. Eva is also a founding member and spokesperson for Love on a Leash, a volunteer animal-assisted therapy program bringing dogs and volunteers to institutions for therapeutic visits. She lives in Carlsbad, California with her husband, Joe, and son, Matt, along with her Welsh terrier, Zippy, a certified animal assistance dog.

From the Back Cover

You've just received the most dreaded news. A loved one has died. Now, what do you do?

Everyone of us will someday have to deal with the death of a loved one, yet we are rarely prepared. Amidst the myriad decisions and arrangements that are necessary, how do you cope with your own confusion and grief? When the practical matters seem all-encompassing, how do you find the time to say good-by?

What to Do When a Loved One Dies guides you through a full range of concerns surrounding death, beginning with what to do in the first twenty-four hours. Gently advice holds your had through the initial shock and provides you with a game plan to deal with even the most special of circumstances. Combining words of wisdom from grief therapists, psychologists, bestselling authors, and people who have been there themselves, this gentle sourcebook helps you understand what's going on "inside" while you work with the external changes brought on by the death of someone you loved. With listings of hundreds of national support groups, resources, and places to get help, it's the perfect compendium for anyone who is moving through the practical and emotional aspects of a loved one's death:

- Immediate action to take - the death certificate, organ donation, the autopsy, and transporting the body

- Understanding your options for funerals and memorial services and how to make the arrangements - costs, contracts, cemetery selection, obituary notices, and burial laws

- Coping with the emotional upheaval from the death of a parent, spouse, child grandchild, or friend

- Living through suicide, homicide, stillbirth, death from a terminal illness, and the public ordeal of a violent death

- Where to find emotional support and how to work through grief

- The practical matters of trusts, wills, probate, and estates, and a loved one's taxes, benefits, and financial obligations

- When death occurs away from home

As an all-encompassing approach to grief managment, What to Do When a Loved One Dies assists with every detail, from the daily realities to the long-term adjustments. Whether you have recently undergone a personal loss, or on staff at a hospital, funeral home, church, or hospice, this indispensable reference has something special just for you.

Reviews

The death of a loved one is a time of great strain and more than a little confusion. Yet there are matters that must be attended to precisely at this time when survivors are not in the best condition to make important decisions. This gentle and sensitive book deals with matters mundane and monumental and offers cogent advice on both. Concerns such as grief resolution are treated caringly as well as questions of what to do if an autopsy is deemed necessary. There is even a chapter on dealing with the death of a pet and another about dealing with a death that has become a media event. Simply put, this book is a comprehensive treatment of the confusing situation of the recently bereaved and a most valuable resource for dealing with a situation that most of us will have to face at least once or twice in our lives. This, then, is a rare quantity: a practical how-to guide truly deserving of that designation. Mike Tribby