Leading a healthier life can help improve your quality of life and your chances of living longer.

There are simple steps you can take to make this happen:

• eat healthy and nutritious foods
• get active
• stop smoking
• limit alcohol consumption
• look after your mental health

Good physical health

Having a healthy weight will significantly lower your risk of developing a variety of serious diseases.

Your Body Mass Index (BMI) is a good way to check if you are a healthy weight for your height. Use the LiveLighter BMI calculator (external site) to work out if you are within a healthy range.

BMI is not a suitable everyone, including children or teenagers. If you are concerned about your child's weight you should talk to your family GP or paediatrician.

You can keep your weight in check by eating healthy foods and being active. Healthy eating is easy and if you are unsure about where to begin, our LiveLighter recipes are a great way to get started.

Good mental health

Throughout your life time having a healthy mind can help you lead a happy and healthy life.

However, everyday life is not always easy and can be stressful. Knowing how to recognise the signs of anxiety, depression or other mental health illnesses, and when to ask others for help.

Things you can do to help maintain good mental health are:

• eat healthy foods
• be active
• stop smoking
• limit alcohol consumption
• talk about your feelings
• problem solve
• find activities to improve your mood
• seek help.

Seeking help can be a big decision but you do not need to feel alone. WA has large range of services that can help you across many different areas of mental health and wellbeing. Speak to your GP about the best options for you.

Where to get help

• See your doctor
• Visit a GP after hours
• Visit healthdirect (external site) or call 1800 022 222
• Mental Health Emergency Response Line (MHERL)
  Metro: 1300 55 788
  Peel: 1800 676 822
• RuralLink
  Rural and remote areas: 1800 552 002

Remember

• Healthy lifestyle choices can help improve your physical and mental life.
• Body Mass Index is a good way to check if you are a healthy weight for your height.

Suddenly losing your job is unsettling at any time, but it's especially scary during the coronavirus pandemic.

With the unemployment rate likely to skyrocket, COVID-19 is turning out to be an economic wrecking ball.

"Almost every company and almost every sector has been hurt, so it really makes this a very, very different experience for the job seeker," says David Lewis, founder and CEO of OperationsInc, a Norwalk, Connecticut-based human resources consultancy with more than 1,000 clients in 50 states.

"The last thing a job seeker wants to hear in a normal economy is be patient, and it’s the best advice I can start off with for someone who is finding themselves unemployed in this market."

Still, there are you suddenly find yourself unemployed.

File for unemployment benefits

Unemployment insurance is a collaboration between the federal government and state governments to help provide some compensation to people who are trying to get a job but can't find one. As soon as you lose your job, contact your state's unemployment insurance program to begin the process. Visit this page to get started.

The good news is that bipartisan legislation making its way swiftly through Congress is likely to increase average weekly unemployment compensation by about $600 for four months. 

Lost a gig? A new option is on the way

So-called "gig economy" workers, such as Uber drivers and freelance contractors, are typically not eligible for unemployment insurance. But a new program in the federal legislation, if passed, would provide unprecedented jobless benefits to self-employed workers and contractors.

Stay tuned for details on how to sign up for these benefits, but there's a good chance you'll do so through the typical unemployment insurance program in your state.

Coronavirus’ full economic impact is yet to be seen but workers are already preparing themselves for possible quarantine measures.

Australians are madly stocking up on supplies in case the disease forces them into a two week isolation.

Meanwhile government and businesses are trying to find the best ways to support affected employees in case it’s no longer safe or viable for them to work.

Not all jobs have the same exposure to coronavirus however, and workers in some industries are more susceptible to its economic impacts than others.

James Caldwell, senior industry analyst with IBISWorld, told The New Daily which five industries face the greatest risks.

Number 1: Airlines

Demand for flights has plummeted since coronavirus first started infecting tourists, and government travel restrictions have further weighed on that.

Qantas has already scaled back its number of flights, forcing 2000 surplus workers to take paid leave if they want to receive an income in the intervening time.

Fortunately for employees in this industry, Mr Caldwell said, there are several factors which could protect their jobs in the long run.

“Staff in this industry are highly unionised and they have a lot of benefits,” he said.

“They don’t have a lot of casual workers, plus, when this virus ends these workers are going to be needed and it’s very expensive to hire in this industry.”

These features mean airline staff are less likely to lose their jobs if the pandemic becomes a prolonged issue.

Number 2: Freight and transport

“Australia is a trading nation, and China is Australia’s biggest trading partner,” Mr Caldwell said.

That’s a big problem for the people moving goods between the two nations as the disease has caused many Chinese factories to close.

With few goods in need of transportation, demand for drivers has fallen.

Luckily, a recent fall in oil prices means freight businesses will have a little extra money to hand, reducing the likelihood of lay-offs.

Australian imports from China (2017)

Number 3: Retail

Australia’s retail sector is already in the midst of a so-called ‘apocalypse’ and coronavirus is tapped to make things worse.

“This outbreak has had a big impact on consumer confidence and there’s a lot of talk about a recession,” Mr Caldwell said.

“If we enter a recession, people are going to cut back on discretionary spending and that can really only harm the retail industry.”

Worryingly, many workers in the retail sector are employed on a casual basis and have no access to paid sick leave.

Mr Caldwell added that casual workers can also be “dispatched at the drop of a hat”.

“We’d see job layoffs there,” he said.

Number 4: Hotels

The summer bushfires took an axe to the tourism sector, and now coronavirus threatens to pour salt in those still-fresh wounds.

“With the bushfires this year, Australian tourism has already contracted and now there are travel bans in place on a list of countries,” Mr Caldwell said.

“If these travel bans are extended further, we’ll probably see the closure of hotels or at least job layoffs.”

Many hotel staff are also employed on a casual basis, and face similar challenges to retail workers.

Number 5: Restaurants

Eating out might be a nice way to spend an evening, but it’s an expense Australians are expected to cut back on as talk of a recession builds.

As consumers tighten their belts staff employed in the restaurant world will feel the squeeze, Mr Caldwell said.

Like retail and hotel workers, many of the hard-working Australians employed by these businesses are casual staff.

Wednesday,25 March 2020 

The World Health Organisation says it is seeing a “very large acceleration” in coronavirus infections in the United States that had the potential of becoming the new epicentre.

During the past 24 hours, 85 per cent of new cases were from Europe and the United States, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters on Tuesday.

Of those, 40 per cent were from the United States.

Harris said the US was “seeing a very large acceleration in cases”.

When asked whether the United States could become the new epicentre, she said: “it does have that potential”.

“(The United States) have a very large outbreak and an outbreak that is increasing in intensity.”

Overall, the global outbreak was accelerating very rapidly and she expected large increases in case numbers and deaths from the 334,981 cases and 14,510 deaths reported.

Information for parents regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

We are acting on the advice of the WA Department of Health to take the necessary precautions for schools and staff.

All Western Australian public schools are being supported by the Department of Education to implement a plan in relation to COVID-19.

Changes to public school learning from Monday 30 March 2020

The State Government has announced new learning arrangements in Western Australian public schools will be introduced to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

To assist our students, teachers and parents, from Monday March 30 to Friday April 3, all children who attend school will continue to be taught. Staff will continue to be present to ensure this can occur.

However, we encourage families to keep their children at home if they can access online or other resources for their education to continue.

Children of parents who need their children to attend school to enable them to maintain employment, and those children in vulnerable families, such as children living with grandparents, are encouraged to continue to attend school.

Teachers and education assistants will use the time between Monday 6 to Thursday 9 April to complete professional development to prepare for Term 2. For children who need to attend school during these four days, arrangements will be in place to allow students to continue to attend school and be supervised.

Independent and Catholic schools will introduce their own suitable arrangements.

Work will continue during the school holidays on developing a longer term education model for Term 2 and beyond in response to COVID-19.

School closures

If there was to be a confirmed COVID-19 case at a school, the decision to close a school is based on the expert advice from the WA Health Department’s Chief Health Officer.

The Chief Health Officer will, if there has been a positive COVID-19 test result in a school, close the school temporarily while assessment and tracing of exposure is conducted. A thorough school clean will then be carried out to make the school safe for the return of students and staff.

In this situation, all families will be immediately contacted by the school and provided with the relevant information.

Travel

All non-essential travel in and out of Western Australia will be banned from 1.30pm on Tuesday, 24 March 2020.

New restrictions and arrival requirements to travel to Western Australia from other Australian States and Territories in response to COVID-19 will apply unless exempted.

Arrivals from overseas and interstate will now be ordered to self-isolate for 14 days.

Parents/carers must notify their school that their child will be absent from school for the isolation period and confirm the date of arrival into Western Australia.

Students do not require a medical certificate or clearance to return to school but must remain at home until 14 days.

Curriculum support

The Learning at home website is now available and resources will continue to be added over the coming weeks.

Updates will be provided as any new information becomes available. Please check back regularly to ensure the information you have is up to date.

The Department of Education, Catholic Education Western Australia and the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia will continue to respond as a collaborative team to advice from the WA Department of Health and provide updated advice to schools and staff as appropriate.

For more information

• WA Department of Health: www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/coronavirus
• Call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
• For general or travel related queries about coronavirus please go to the healthdirect website.
• Visit the Australian Department of Health website or details about the novel coronavirus.
• You can also visit the World Health Organisation website for more information about coronavirus and for updates.
• Telethon Institute for Kids - Tips for discussing coronavirus with your kids

School students will not face national literacy and numeracy testing in 2020 because of the spread of coronavirus.

Education ministers made the decision to bin the NAPLAN tests at a meeting on Friday. The exams were scheduled for May.

The ministers said cancellation would help teachers and principals "focus on the wellbeing of students and continuity of education, including potential online and remote learning".

"Further, the impact of responses to the COVID-19 virus may affect the delivery of NAPLAN testing, including the operation of centralised marking centres and the implications for nationally comparable data if an insufficient number of students are available to do the test," they said in a statement.

But they reiterated the strong medical advice that schools should remain open for now.

"Education departments and systems will continue to closely monitor health advice and work with schools to ensure appropriate support for students and staff as the response to COVID-19 develops," they said.

The cancellation also means testing of the expanded online NAPLAN platform, supposed to start next week, now won't happen.

In 2019, the first widespread trial of NAPLAN online was plagued by technical issues, with many students unable to complete their tests first go.

Some states have questioned the usefulness of NAPLAN, with NSW, Queensland and Victoria reviewing whether the standardised testing gives parents and teachers diagnostic information in the most efficient way.

But federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has previously defended it, saying the tests did provide valuable information.

How long are schools likely to be closed?

The short answer is indefinitely.

Schools in England, Wales and Scotland will close on Friday afternoon. Schools in Northern Ireland will be closed from Monday.

Most are effectively closing two weeks before the Easter holidays start, but it is not clear whether they will re-open for the summer term.

England's Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says schools will be closed "until further notice".

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she cannot guarantee that schools in Scotland will re-open before September.

It will depend to a large extent on the effectiveness of measures to reduce the spread of the outbreak.

Deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries said school closures were necessary to reduce social contact throughout society and hence the spread of the virus.

So will every school be completely closed?

No. Some schools will be kept open with a skeleton staff to provide support for the children of key workers. A list of who this covers is to be released later today, but it is expected to include NHS staff, police and food delivery drivers.

Schools will also be asked to help those most in need - for example, children who receive free school meals and those with special educational needs or education health care plans.

But it is not yet clear which schools will be the ones to provide these services.

Mr Williamson said in England the aim would be to provide support in school for an estimated 10% of pupils.

Teaching unions are supportive of the plans, but say they want to see more details of the plans urgently.

The government says it's also asking nurseries and private schools to close, and will provide financial support if needed.

What will happen about exams?

In England and in Wales, all exams in May and June have been cancelled, including GCSEs and A-levels as well as England's primary school national curriculum tests, known as Sats.

Mr Williamson told the Commons on Wednesday: "I can confirm we will not go ahead with assessments or exams and that we will not be publishing performance tables for this academic year.

"We will work with the sector and [the exams watchdog] Ofqual to ensure children get the qualifications that they need."

More details will be released on England's plans on Friday.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will announce a decision on exams in the days to come.

How will children be assessed instead?

Exams watchdogs have been working together for some time to look at alternative arrangements.

These may include:

• using predicted grades
• teacher assessments
• looking at coursework
• considering other evidence of candidate performance

It is likely the exam boards and individual exams regulators across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will agree a uniform system to ensure comparability.

With regard to offers of university places, Universities UK - the vice-chancellors' organisation - suggested universities may honour the offers already made on the basis of predicted grades.

What does this mean for Parents?

For many working parents, the closures will mean huge childcare issues (this was one of the reasons why the government delayed closures as long as possible).

Some may need to take time off work, raising concerns that some families will struggle financially.

Head teachers have told the BBC that they have been making plans to continue teaching and supporting pupils during the closure, using social media and technologies such as Google Classroom and Maths Watch.

In many other countries across Europe, schools were closed earlier on in the outbreak.

The UK's reluctance to follow suit was based on information that children are not as vulnerable to coronavirus as adults.

There were also fears about elderly relatives - the group most at risk from the virus - from being called upon to provide childcare.

However, head teachers have been struggling with the growing number of staff who have taken time off because they are ill, have underlying health conditions or are self-isolating.

Many individual schools had already been closing their doors, or sending certain year groups home.

Source: BBC & WHO

As coronavirus continues to spread within the Australian community, health authorities are ramping up measures to protect those most at risk of life-threatening complications from the disease.

A 95-year-old woman from a Sydney aged care facility has become the second Australian to die from the COVID-19 strain.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard today conceded that containment is now unlikely, with the focus turning to minimising the disease's impact.

With more than 93,000 cases reported across 74 countries, coronavirus has already killed over 3,200 people – more deaths than previous epidemics SARS and MERS combined.

So just who is most at risk – and how concerned do you need to be?

Here's what studies of the progression of COVID-19 in China, where the disease initially broke out three months ago, have shown.

The age factor

It's now well-established that the elderly are at the greatest risk of serious complications from the new coronavirus strain, but younger people can still catch and transmit the disease.

As of February 11, more than three quarters of all confirmed cases across China (77.8 per cent) were found in those aged between 30 and 69 years, according to statistics reported by the China Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

A further 8.8 per cent were aged 70 to 79 and 3.2 per cent were over 80.

Health authorities have speculated that may be in part attributable to community behaviours, with the elderly less likely to travel extensively and come in contact with carriers of the disease.

However, the death rate in elderly individuals remains much higher – one in every seven people aged over 80 who contract coronavirus will die, compared to one in 80 for 50-somethings.

This is believed to be largely due to the strength of patients' respiratory system, with most deaths caused not by the disease itself but by pneumonia and other complications from the illness.

Interestingly, the very young – who are generally the other most at-risk group from infectious diseases – appear to be protected from the serious side-effects of the illness.

Children aged under 10 made up just 0.9 per cent of cases across China, while a further 1.2 per cent were children and teenagers aged 10 to 19.

A World Health Organisation mission to China supported this, finding those aged under 18 made up just 2.4 per cent of all cases.

Only one of these 549 young people died.

It remains unclear if the low rates of confirmed cases are because children do not show symptoms, even if infected – presenting the possibility that they could act as "silent" transmitters of the illness in the community.

Are men or women more likely to get coronavirus?

The gender imbalance is much less clear-cut than the age factor, but preliminary reports suggest that men may be slightly more at risk of contracting coronavirus than women.

China CDC found that 106 men had the disease for every 100 women while another, earlier study of over 1000 COVID-19 patients in Wuhan found a greater imbalance, with 58 per cent of confirmed cases being men.

However, the mortality rate for men remains significantly higher, at 2.8 per cent compared to 1.7 per cent for women.

This could be due in part to men being more likely to have pre-existing conditions such as heart disease.

Are pregnant women at increased risk?

Pregnant women are often more susceptible to respiratory illnesses and, once infected, become more seriously ill.

Little is known about the new coronavirus strain in pregnant women, but preliminary data suggests they are not at a higher risk than the general population.

In an investigation of 147 pregnant women who were either confirmed or suspected to have coronavirus, eight per cent had severe disease and one per cent were critical, the WHO-China Joint Mission found.

A small study by scientists at Wuhan University found that, of the nine pregnant patients infected with the virus, none appeared to pass it on to their babies, who were all delivered healthy via caesarean section.

Pre-existing illness

Along with the elderly, those with pre-existing health conditions are most at risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from COVID-19.

These diseases range from respiratory illnesses, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, through to heart disease and cancer.

A large China-based study of 1,590 coronavirus patients found that those with pre-existing conditions were almost twice as likely to be admitted to intensive care, be put on a ventilator and to die.

Those with two or more additional diseases were at 2.5 times greater risk.

Data from the China CDC supported these statistics, reporting the death rate for healthy individuals at 0.9 per cent, while in those with cardiovascular disease it was 10.5 per cent.

The death toll for diabetes sufferers was 7.3 per cent, 6.3 per cent for those with chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, 6 per cent for hypertension and 5.6 per cent for those with cancer.

This is in line with previous deadly outbreaks such as MERS and SARS.

Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has warned Australians will be facing COVID-19 for the long haul, saying we should expect “disruptive and intrusive” measures for at least six months.

“People who say we can lockdown the country for four weeks and send everyone home, close the schools, are not being realistic,” he told A Current Affair this evening. “At the end of those four weeks, you have to undo all that, and then the virus can break out in a more aggressive way.

“We are trying to get the community adjusted to the fact that this is a long haul,” he said, adding that Australians would have to “change the way we behave”.

He said forcing people to stay home was a “possibility in the future” in sections if a small part of the country experienced a “very significant” outbreak.

568 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed across Australia, with 267 in New South Wales, 121 in Victoria, 94 in Queensland, 37 in South Australia, 35 in Western Australia, 10 in Tasmania, three in the ACT and one in the Northern Territory.

Live updates:

March 18, 2020

That's a wrap!

That concludes our COVID-19 blog for today.

Until tomorrow morning, here are some related stories worth reading:

Exponential growth explains terrifying spread of virus

'Perfect storm' of new flu strains and virus spell danger

Closed schools told to reopen

Australia must prepare for 'disruptive, intrusive measures'

Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has warned Australians will be facing COVID-19 for the long haul, saying we should expect “disruptive and intrusive” measures for at least six months.

"People who say we can lockdown the country for four weeks and send everyone home, close the schools, are not being realistic," he told A Current Affair this evening. “At the end of those four weeks, you have to undo all that, and then the virus can break out in a more aggressive way.

"We are trying to get the community adjusted to the fact that this is a long haul,” he said, adding that Australians would have to “change the way we behave”.

He said forcing people to stay home was a “possibility in the future” in sections if a small part of the country experienced a “very significant” outbreak.

He also reiterated Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s advice against travelling.

“Unless there are exceptional circumstances, do not travel,” he said. However, he said Australia would “never” close its borders to Australian citizens and permanent residents.

He also said Italy’s infection rate was based on community transmission, while ours are based on imported cases, concluding that we have a “very different situation”.

"We think that six months is a good estimate, a period we will need to introduce very strong social distancing measures,” he said.

He admitted while these measures are going to be “disruptive and intrusive… they will enable us to go on living".

Latest updates: Wednesday 18th March

GOLF: The PGA Championship, one of the sport’s four majors, has been postponed. The tournament was scheduled to take place at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California from 11th to 17th May. 

HORSE RACING: All racing in Great Britain will be suspended from 18th March until the end of April. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said the decision will be kept under 'constant review'.

CYCLING: The International Cycling Union (UCI) has postponed the Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege races, having initially suspended all events until 3rd April. Paris-Roubaix was set to take place on 12th April, with Liege-Bastogne-Liege two weeks later. The Fleche Wallonne, scheduled for 22nd April has also been cancelled. The Tour de Yorkshire has been postponed. The race had been scheduled from 30th April to 3rd May. Dates are being looked at for the event to be staged later on in the year. 

BOXING: The all-English heavyweight bout between Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce has been rescheduled from 11th April to 11th July at the same venue, London’s O2 Arena.
All boxing events are cancelled until at least the start of April by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).

BASKETBALL: The British Basketball League has suspended the 2019/20 season until further notice.

DIVING: The Fina Diving World Series finale, due to be staged at the London Aquatics Centre between 27th and 29th March, has been postponed.

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has postponed the African Nations Championship, which had been set to take place from 4th to 25th April. The African Champions League final and Confederation Cup final, both due to kick off at the end of May, are still due to go ahead.

Explained: How do I self-isolate after landing in Australia?

From midnight anyone who entered Australia must self-isolate for 14 days. But what does that mean for you, amid the coronavirus outbreak?

Here's your guide to what you can and can't do, and what it means for your family or others you live with.

If you must self-isolate, then your wife or husband, family, kids or flatmates at home do not need to self-isolate.

But you should minimise or avoid any situations where you may have close contact with them. Close contact is any face-to-face contact closer than one metre for more than 15 minutes with people.

When you get home you are allowed to go into your backyard and garden. You can also access the common areas of your apartment or the hotel you are staying in.

However, and this very important, if it is an apartment or hotel then you must wear a surgical mask.

More updates will be available as it develops

How to support someone who’s grieving

When someone you care about is grieving after a loss, it can be difficult to know what to say or do. The bereaved struggle with many intense and painful emotions, including depression, anger, guilt, and profound sadness. Often, they also feel isolated and alone in their grief, since the intense pain and difficult emotions can make people uncomfortable about offering support.

You may be afraid of intruding, saying the wrong thing, or making your loved one feel even worse at such a difficult time. Or maybe you think there’s little you can do to make things better. That’s understandable. But don’t let discomfort prevent you from reaching out to someone who is grieving. Now, more than ever, your loved one needs your support. You don’t need to have answers or give advice or say and do all the right things. The most important thing you can do for a grieving person is to simply be there. It’s your support and caring presence that will help your loved one cope with the pain and gradually begin to heal.

The keys to helping a loved one who’s grieving

• Don’t let fears about saying or doing the wrong thing stop you from reaching out
• Let your grieving loved one know that you’re there to listen
• Understand that everyone grieves differently and for different lengths of time
• Offer to help in practical ways
• Maintain your support after the funeral

Helping a grieving person tip 1: Understand the grieving process

The better your understanding of grief and how it is healed, the better equipped you’ll be to help a bereaved friend or family member:

There is no right or wrong way to grieve. Grief does not always unfold in orderly, predictable stages. It can be an emotional rollercoaster, with unpredictable highs, lows, and setbacks. Everyone grieves differently, so avoid telling your loved one what they “should” be feeling or doing.

Grief may involve extreme emotions and behaviors. Feelings of guilt, anger, despair, and fear are common. A grieving person may yell to the heavens, obsess about the death, lash out at loved ones, or cry for hours on end. Your loved one needs reassurance that what they feel is normal. Don’t judge them or take their grief reactions personally.

There is no set timetable for grieving. For many people, recovery after bereavement takes 18 to 24 months, but for others, the grieving process may be longer or shorter. Don’t pressure your loved one to move on or make them feel like they’ve been grieving too long. This can actually slow the healing process.

Tip 2: Know what to say to someone who’s grieving

While many of us worry about what to say to a grieving person, it’s actually more important to listen. Oftentimes, well-meaning people avoid talking about the death or change the subject when the deceased person is mentioned. Or, knowing there’s nothing they can say to make it better, they try to avoid the grieving person altogether.

But the bereaved need to feel that their loss is acknowledged, it’s not too terrible to talk about, and their loved one won’t be forgotten. One day they may want to cry on your shoulder, on another day they may want to vent, or sit in silence, or share memories. By being present and listening compassionately, you can take your cues from the grieving person. Simply being there and listening to them can be a huge source of comfort and healing.

How to talk—and listen—to someone who’s grieving

While you should never try to force someone to open up, it’s important to let your grieving friend or loved one know that you’re there to listen if they want to talk about their loss. Talk candidly about the person who died and don’t steer away from the subject if the deceased’s name comes up. And when it seems appropriate, ask sensitive questions—without being nosy—that invite the grieving person to openly express their feelings. By simply asking, “Do you feel like talking?” you’re letting your loved one know that you’re available to listen.

You can also:

Acknowledge the situation. For example, you could say something as simple as: “I heard that your father died.” By using the word “died” you’ll show that you’re more open to talk about how the grieving person really feels.

Express your concern. For example: “I’m sorry to hear that this happened to you.”

Let the bereaved talk about how their loved one died. People who are grieving may need to tell the story over and over again, sometimes in minute detail. Be patient. Repeating the story is a way of processing and accepting the death. With each retelling, the pain lessens. By listening patiently and compassionately, you’re helping your loved one heal.

Ask how your loved one feels. The emotions of grief can change rapidly so don’t assume you know how the bereaved person feels at any given time. If you’ve gone through a similar loss, share your own experience if you think it would help. Remember, though, that grief is an intensely individual experience. No two people experience it exactly the same way, so don’t claim to “know” what the person is feeling or compare your grief to theirs. Again, put the emphasis on listening instead, and ask your loved one to tell you how they’re feeling.

Accept your loved one’s feelings. Let the grieving person know that it’s okay to cry in front of you, to get angry, or to break down. Don’t try to reason with them over how they should or shouldn’t feel. Grief is a highly emotional experience, so the bereaved need to feel free to express their feelings—no matter how irrational—without fear of judgment, argument, or criticism.

Be genuine in your communication. Don’t try to minimize their loss, provide simplistic solutions, or offer unsolicited advice. It’s far better to just listen to your loved one or simply admit: “I’m not sure what to say, but I want you to know I care.”

Be willing to sit in silence. Don’t press if the grieving person doesn’t feel like talking. Often, comfort for them comes from simply being in your company. If you can’t think of something to say, just offer eye contact, a squeeze of the hand, or a reassuring hug.

Offer your support. Ask what you can do for the grieving person. Offer to help with a specific task, such as helping with funeral arrangements, or just be there to hang out with or as a shoulder to cry on.

Things to avoid saying to someone who’s grieving

“It’s part of God’s plan.” This phrase can make people angry and they often respond with, “What plan? Nobody told me about any plan.”

“Look at what you have to be thankful for.” They know they have things to be thankful for, but right now they are not important.

“He’s in a better place now.” The bereaved may or may not believe this. Keep your beliefs to yourself unless asked.

“This is behind you now; it’s time to get on with your life.” Sometimes the bereaved are resistant to getting on with because they feel this means “forgetting” their loved one. Besides, moving on is much easier said than done. Grief has a mind of its own and works at its own pace.

Statements that begin with “You should” or “You will.” These statements are too directive. Instead you could begin your comments with: “Have you thought about…” or “You might try…”

Source: American Hospice Foundation

Tip 3: Offer practical assistance

It is difficult for many grieving people to ask for help. They might feel guilty about receiving so much attention, fear being a burden to others, or simply be too depressed to reach out. A grieving person may not have the energy or motivation to call you when they need something, so instead of saying, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” make it easier for them by making specific suggestions. You could say, “I’m going to the market this afternoon. What can I bring you from there?” or “I’ve made beef stew for dinner. When can I come by and bring you some?”

If you’re able, try to be consistent in your offers of assistance. The grieving person will know that you’ll be there for as long as it takes and can look forward to your attentiveness without having to make the additional effort of asking again and again.

There are many practical ways you can help a grieving person. You can offer to:

• Shop for groceries or run errands
• Drop off a casserole or other type of food
• Help with funeral arrangements
• Stay in your loved one’s home to take phone calls and receive guests
• Help with insurance forms or bills
• Take care of housework, such as cleaning or laundry
• Watch their children or pick them up from school
• Drive your loved one wherever they need to go
• Look after your loved one’s pets
• Go with them to a support group meeting
• Accompany them on a walk
• Take them to lunch or a movie
• Share an enjoyable activity (sport, game, puzzle, art project)

Tip 4: Provide ongoing support

Your loved one will continue grieving long after the funeral is over and the cards and flowers have stopped. The length of the grieving process varies from person to person, but often lasts much longer than most people expect. Your bereaved friend or family member may need your support for months or even years.

Continue your support over the long haul. Stay in touch with the grieving person, periodically checking in, dropping by, or sending letters or cards. Once the funeral is over and the other mourners are gone, and the initial shock of the loss has worn off, your support is more valuable than ever.

Don’t make assumptions based on outward appearances. The bereaved person may look fine on the outside, while inside they’re suffering. Avoid saying things like “You are so strong” or “You look so well.” This puts pressure on the person to keep up appearances and to hide their true feelings.

The pain of bereavement may never fully heal. Be sensitive to the fact that life may never feel the same. You don’t “get over” the death of a loved one. The bereaved person may learn to accept the loss. The pain may lessen in intensity over time, but the sadness may never completely go away.

Offer extra support on special days. Certain times and days of the year will be particularly hard for your grieving friend or family member. Holidays, family milestones, birthdays, and anniversaries often reawaken grief. Be sensitive on these occasions. Let the bereaved person know that you’re there for whatever they need.

Tip 5: Watch for warning signs of depression

It’s common for a grieving person to feel depressed, confused, disconnected from others, or like they’re going crazy. But if the bereaved person’s symptoms don’t gradually start to fade—or they get worse with time—this may be a sign that normal grief has evolved into a more serious problem, such as clinical depression.

Encourage the grieving person to seek professional help if you observe any of the following warning signs after the initial grieving period—especially if it’s been over two months since the death.

1. Difficulty functioning in daily life
2. Extreme focus on the death
3. Excessive bitterness, anger, or guilt
4. Neglecting personal hygiene
5. Alcohol or drug abuse

6. Inability to enjoy life
7. Hallucinations
8. Withdrawing from others
9. Constant feelings of hopelessness
10. Talking about dying or suicide

It can be tricky to bring up your concerns to the bereaved person as you don’t want to be perceived as invasive. Instead of telling the person what to do, try stating your own feelings: “I am troubled by the fact that you aren’t sleeping—perhaps you should look into getting help.“

Take talk of suicide very seriously

If a grieving friend or family member talks about suicide, seek help immediately. Please read Suicide Prevention or call a suicide helpline:

• In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255.
• In the UK, call 116 123.
• Or visit IASP for a helpline in your country.

How to comfort a child who’s grieving

Even very young children feel the pain of bereavement, but they learn how to express their grief by watching the adults around them. After a loss—particularly of a sibling or parent—children need support, stability, and honesty. They may also need extra reassurance that they will be cared for and kept safe. As an adult, you can support children through the grieving process by demonstrating that it’s okay to be sad and helping them make sense of the loss.

Answer any questions the child may have as truthfully as you can. Use very simple, honest, and concrete terms when explaining death to a child. Children—especially young children—may blame themselves for what happened and the truth helps them see they are not at fault.

Open communication will smooth the way for a child to express distressing feelings. Because children often express themselves through stories, games, and artwork, encourage this self-expression, and look for clues in those activities about how they are coping.

1. Clean Your Hands       

• Use soap and warm water. Rub your hands really well  for at least 15 seconds. Rub your palms, fingernail, in  between your fingers, and the backs of your hands.
• Or, if your hands do not look dirty, clean them with alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Rub the sanitizer all over your hands, especially under your nails and between your fingers, until your hands are dry
• Clean your hands before touching or eating food. Clean them after you use the bathroom, take out the trash, change a diaper, visit someone who is ill, or play with a pet. 

2. Make sure health care providers clean their hands or wear gloves.  

• Doctors, nurses, dentist and other health care providers come into contact with lots of bacteria and viruses. So before they treat you, ask them if they've cleaned their hands.
• Healthcare providers should wear clean gloves when they perform tasks such as taking blood, touching wounds or body fluids and examining your mouth or private parts. Don't be afraid to ask them if they should wear gloves. 

3. Cover your mouth and nose. 

• Many diseases are spread through sneezes and coughs.  When you sneeze or cough, the germs can travel 3 feet or more! Cover your mouth and nose to prevent the spread of infection to others.
• Use a tissue! Keep tissues handy at home, at work and in your pocket. Be sure to throw away used tissues and then clean your hands.
• If you don't have a tissue, cover your mouth and nose with the bend of your elbow or hands. If you use your hands, clean them right away. 

4. If you are sick, avoid close contact with others.   

• If you are sick, stay away from other people or stay home. Don't shake hands or touch others      
• When you go for medical treatment, call ahead and ask if there's anything you can do to avoid infecting people in the waiting room, 

5. Get shots to avoid disease and fight the spread of infection. 

Make sure that your vaccinations are current - even for adults. Check with your doctor about shots you may need. Vaccinations are available to prevent these diseases: 

• Chicken pox
• Measles
• Tetanus
• Meningitis
• Shingles
• Mumps
• Hepatitis
• Flu – Influenza
• Whooping cough (Pertussis)
• Pneumonia (Streptococcus pneumoniae)
• German measles (Rubella)
• Human papillomavirus (HPV)

Personal Hygiene

Personal hygiene helps keep your immune system from being overwhelmed by germs. Skin is an important part of the immune system for it acts as a barrier between germs and your body. Skin is tough and generally impermeable to bacteria and viruses. On the other hand, germs can enter our bodies through other areas that are susceptible to bacteria such as our nose, mouth, eyes, or a break in the skin. Common sense and following good personal hygiene will limit the possibility of these germs finding a way into your body. 

Here are some common sense personal hygiene tips:

• Wash Your Hands -The single most important way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases is to wash your hands. Most infections, particularly the common cold and gastroenteritis, are contracted when our germ infested hands come in contact with our mouths. In addition, infections are also contracted through contact with other individuals whose hands may come in contact with us.
• Take a Daily Shower or Bath - A daily shower or bath aids in the cleansing of our bodies as well as eliminating any bodily odor or bacteria ridden skin. Personal bath towels are recommended. Cross infection is a risk that is unnecessary if possible.
• Brush teeth at least twice a day. Mouth care is very important. Clean intact oral mucous membranes assist in preventing infections. Mouth care includes brushing the teeth, flossing between them, and checking the inside of the mouth and gums, as well as cleaning dentures.  

Nutrition and Diet 

Eating healthy balanced meals is especially important to a person who is recovering from an illness. It is also important for someone who must be in bed or in a wheelchair for long periods of time.

A healthy diet focuses on:

• 
  

  Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products.
• Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.
• Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars. 

Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins and minerals. Protein is necessary for wound healing. Foods high in fiber such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may make it easier to have a bowel movement. Certain vitamins may help prevent damage to the body's cells. They also may help repair damage to your body tissue caused by a chronic disease. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish and may help decrease constipation and inflammation. 

Depending on a person's medical condition, a special diet and supplements may be ordered. The recommended diet may change over time as health conditions change. Your healthcare provider will instruct you on your special diet and supplement needs.