By Dee Jaye Clark, www.TheRelationshipNavigator.com

I have heard a number of people say, “They do not know how to be there for someone,” when a friend is suffering through an illness or has lost a family member. Some do not know what to say or how to help–or believe that the individual going through the tough time may desire to be left alone.

I happen to believe that everyone would appreciate support. If someone is ill you may choose to:

• Visit the hospital or home
• Send a get well card
• Call to say you were thinking about/encourage them
• Volunteer to cook a meal in their home
• Deliver a prepared meal to the home
• Run an errand
• Take the dog for a walk
• Take or pick-up their children from school once a week
• Drive them to a doctor, hospital or treatment center

If someone has passed, you may support the family by:

• Assisting in some manner with the memorial service preparations
• Attend the wake, memorial service, or burial ceremony
• Send a sympathy card
• Call to express your condolences
• Visit and lend a shoulder to cry on
• Volunteer to watch the children while the loved one takes an afternoon break

Of course this is just a starter list; you are the one who knows the individual situation, so be creative and understand that all positive actions are always welcomed by those who are going through a challenging period in their lives.

Dee Jaye is The Relationship Navigator, here to help us with the challenges that arise in our personal relationships and in the family dynamics of caregiving.  While most of her guidance is geared toward romance, she and her brother recently embarked on a caregiving path for their parents, an experience which has broadened Dee Jaye’s scope of interest with regard to “The Relationship.”