Horrible Day Today!

berniecuddles | 16:31 Mon 03rd Feb 2014 | ChatterBank

25 Answers

been a horrible day today I'm the cleaning supervisor at work had a phone call and had to to tell a young girl to go home as her father was at the doctors and as he was there had a heart attack and died,its the hardest thing i have ever had to do, i admit crying with her,gutted for her, how very sad.

Stocking Up The Cupboards.

Sinkholes

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DTCwordfan

Best Answer

Just be there and compassionate if she needs it....the shock may have not yet fully set in....be a listener, that's all - and honest with your answers, even to 'I will need to find out and will do so by 'whatever'.......I am sure you will handle it well by what we see on here, bernie!

16:59 Mon 03rd Feb 2014

Go To Best Answer

Psybbo

Oh that's tough Bernie, I had to do something similar once, very upsetting

emmie

how awful, could you have told her that he was at the doctors without telling her the rest, it should have been down to medical person or a member of the family to tell her. How old is she?

jd_1984

Tough.
Yet I cant help thinking, should you have been the one to break this news?
No dis-respect meant, but surely notifying a bereavement should be down to a doctor or family member, not put on your shoulders. The police for example, are trained in how to deliver such news...

berniecuddles

Question Author

Emmie she is 18, it was all a shock for us all, her brother called me, you don't think at the time, he picked her up 30 mins later

emmie

i would have left it to him to deal with it, tragic

AB Editor

I don't think it's possible to withhold such information Jd - how do you not tell someone that, when you know?

berniecuddles

Question Author

Ed it all happened so quickly from phone call to telling her what was i supposed to do

jd_1984

Yes Ed I can understand that but the delivery of such news has to be sensitive, if the brother was 30mins away perhaps the family should have delivered the news.
Please forgive me if you feel I am wrong.

2sp_

I agree with Ed, I wouldn't have been able to not tell her. How on earth would you word it - say that her dad had taken unwell and her brother was coming to get her? She would only ask further questions and I know I wouldn't be able to hold it from her.

What horrible news to have to tell anyone.

AB Editor

Exactly Bernie. Not telling her would be like lying about it, even if it was for 30 minutes...

joggerjayne

Oh, how awful.

AB Editor

You're not wrong Jd, but it's a pandora's box thing.

berniecuddles

Question Author

now I'm at home Ed thinking about it all i don't think i could have sat there with her knowing, my wife said i did the right thing,but its still very very sad

DTCwordfan

Get a Gin and tonic or whatever down you....

It isn't pleasant, I guess. The worse I have had is being one of a team of four of us brought into Taiwan following an accident on the Moon Festival, akin to the Marchioness, to pick up the pieces re staff and business.

We lost half of the company along with spouses etc when a boat overturned close to shore (nearly 50 died).... That was really weird and a tough two weeks - we were given ten days off ourselves to help get through it..... Though the team comprised of the HR Director, the Marketing Director as GM, the Controller and me for the businesses, it was a case of all hands to the deck in counselling of staff and families - and getting things in place to cover the holes in the teams.

DTCwordfan

Bernie - you did the right thing - give her a call tomorrow and ask what support she needs, if any, even things like compassionate leave etc.....

berniecuddles

Question Author

not looking forward to tomorrow at all, my manager is on holiday so it is down to me to do what i can for her

DTCwordfan