The Availability and use of Help (IN: The First Year of Bereavement, by I O Glick et al)

The first phase of mourning brought together kin & friends-people to help physically with housework or children & with the need to talk. The widow preferred to be informed by the doctor, not by a stranger such as the police. She tended to blame others for the death & appreciated offers of help. Most helpful was the husband’s brother. Some husbands are able to prepare wife for impending death. Role models were important. Change of marital status accepted differently among widows.(DO)