10 Rights of a Grieving Heart: Tips for Seniors & Their Families

​Grief is a powerful emotion that often comes unexpected but in various forms. You may be responding to the recent update in your disease process, or you grieve because you have a loved one you are losing to a disease process. Perhaps you have lost someone recently, by natural causes or any other way. Whatever the source, whether expected or not, grief may change your life. Learning how to maneuver through it is key to learning how to live with it. Give yourself permission to fully experience these various aspects of grieving.

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1. You have the right to experience your own unique grief. 
2. You have the right to talk about your grief. 
3. You have the right to feel a multitude of emotions. 
4. You have the right to be tolerant of your physical and emotional limits. 
5. You have the right to experience grief “attacks". 
6. You have the right to make use of ritual. 
7. You have the right to embrace your spirituality. 
8. You have the right to search for meaning. 
9. You have the right to treasure your memories. 
10. You have the right to move toward your grief and heal. ​​

Abridged from The Grieving Person's Bill of Rights by Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD, Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition, Ft. Collins, CO

​If your heart is grieving, please know that you do not need to grieve alone. There are support groups, in your area and online, filled with caring people who will walk through this with you.