10 Ways to Prepare for the Passing of a Loved One

There is no easy way to prepare for the passing loved one, something the family of Barbara Bush is grappling with right now.

But there are steps you can take before and after a death to help process such a painful experience, grief experts say — and the first is give yourself the right to feel any emotion, from sadness over a lost opportunity to say goodbye to anger over how a loved one died.

• 

All we can do is prepare to say goodbye for the last time.

1. Know their wishes. …
2. Spend time with your passing loved one …
3. Take care of yourself. …
4. Contact anyone who might wish to see them. …
5. Research the condition. …
6. As death approaches.