Just last week news broke that respected and admired Australian actress Nicole Kidman unexpectedly lost her father whilst he was on vacation in Singapore. Whilst it was a tragic event to happen, it can also happen to any Australian family. How can we prepare ourselves for dealing with unexpected loss?
What happened?
Dr Antony Kidman had been visiting his daughter Antonia, son-in-law Craig and their six children in Singapore. Early reports stated that Dr Kidman had died after an apparent fall at the restaurant he was dining in at the time of his unexpected death but the most recent reports have confirmed that Dr Kidman suffered a heart attack after some early morning exercise.
Understandably this is an incredibly tragic event to happen to the entire Kidman family and although this was a high-profile story with lots of media coverage, accidents and unexpected deaths also affect the everyday Australian family. If this was to happen to someone we know, how do we deal with such an unexpected loss. Can we be prepared? Or do we simply need to process and accept the loss after it has happened? Below are three ways to cope when dealing with unexpected loss.
Gather those close to you as soon as possible
In the event of an accident, it is important for all those affected to gather with one another in order to get and give support. Depending on the nature of the accident, many close friends and family are likely to be in shock. Of course this can certainly happen in other circumstances of death but the suddenness and untimeliness of accidents strongly emphasises and makes the shock much more extreme.
Let the authorities work efficiently and without interference
In the sad story of the Kidman family, there needed to be multiple (and international) authorities cooperating with one another. This would not have been made easier with the amount of media attention received locally in Singapore, here in Australia and of course internationally in the US and around the globe.
For those families finding themselves in a somewhat similar situation, even without being a high-profile media story, it is best left to the authorities to conduct their relevant investigations. If the authorities aren't able to do their jobs efficiently and without interference, your family will only be left lingering in the grieving process for longer than necessary.
Choose a funeral home you trust
Depending on the recently lost loved one, you may or may not have access to their funeral wishes. More than likely in the case of an accident or unexpected loss you won't have everything handy which only places more stress and shock on everyone. Choosing a funeral home you can trust is possibly the most important decision you can make at this time since they can handle all the difficult decisions for you, leaving you and your family to support one another.
We certainly endeavour to provide such services here at LadyAnne Funerals and are just a call away for those of you that need it.
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