Determining how to communicate a loved one’s chronic illness or impending death to other family members and friends may be challenging. It may also be difficult to find the right time and identify with whom to share the news first.
Smaller news can be shared through group text, email or private Facebook messaging. Larger news or more sensitive information such as a loved one’s diagnosis should be shared with others in person or over the phone.
The ring—or concentric circles—theory is a great method to use when sharing important news. It applies to how information should go out, starting with individuals who are closest to the loved one and moves outward. The individual in or near the center determines how much information goes out, as it is their story to tell.
When sharing the information with others, avoid posting the news publicly on social media until closest family is notified.
The family can also create a phone tree—established “rules” of who calls who. For example: siblings call each other, then call their children and grandchildren regarding the news.
To learn more, visit Tabitha.org/Hospice.
