Loss of a Loved One
When loss reshapes everything you know.
Losing someone you love changes everything at once, and nothing about it is simple. Grief touches your energy, your routines, your relationships, and decisions you never expected to face. Showing up each day while carrying this weight takes more than most people realize. There is no right way through this, and you don't have to figure it out alone.
7 guides · 31 steps
What the plan covers
7 guides. 31 concrete steps.
Each guide covers one part of this event. Inside it, Gaite walks you through specific steps with the documents, deadlines, and people that go with them. Your plan includes the guides that fit your situation. Anything you do not pick stays ready for later.
01Before the Loss: When Death Is ExpectedWhen a death is anticipated, there is a narrow window to say what needs to be said, confirm wishes, gather access to critical information, and prepare for what comes next. This guide covers the things that can only happen while the person is still alive.5 steps
- Have the conversations that matter
- Confirm or capture end-of-life and memorial wishes
- Gather access to critical accounts and documents
- Coordinate comfort care and family presence
- Prepare for the immediate aftermath
02Immediate Response and TriageFocus on what must happen in the first hours and days. Who needs to be contacted, what decisions cannot wait, and how to cover basic safety and care while you are in shock.4 steps
- Handle immediate decisions about the body
- Secure the home, dependents, and critical accounts
- Notify the inner circle and your employer
- Triage the first 72 hours
03Funeral, Notification, and Role DelegationCoordinate memorial decisions, communicate the loss to the people who need to know, and delegate practical tasks so one person is not carrying everything alone.4 steps
- Make memorial and service decisions
- Write and publish the obituary and announcements
- Build a support roster and delegate tasks
- Navigate family dynamics and conflicting wishes
04Benefits, Accounts, and Household ContinuityHandle death certificates, survivor benefits, insurance claims, bill transfers, account access, and the invisible household labor the deceased used to carry.5 steps
- Obtain and distribute death certificates
- File for survivor benefits and insurance claims
- Transfer, close, or protect accounts
- Inventory and cover the invisible household labor
- Address estate and probate basics
05Grief Support and Family CommunicationMake space for the full range of grief, understand how different people in the family are experiencing the loss, and build a support structure that fits your actual needs.4 steps
- Name and make space for your grief responses
- Build a grief support structure
- Navigate family grief differences and communication
- Manage grief at work and in daily life
06Children, Dependents, and Role ReplacementStabilize care, routines, and emotional support for children, vulnerable adults, or others who depended on the deceased for daily care or co-parenting.4 steps
- Assess and stabilize the care gap
- Support children through age-appropriate grief
- Reorganize daily routines and logistics
- Connect with school, pediatric, and child-focused support
07Anniversaries, Reorganization, and Long-Tail GriefSupport the period after public sympathy drops, when life must be rebuilt around the absence and grief still arrives in waves.5 steps
- Prepare for grief triggers and anniversaries
- Sort and manage personal belongings
- Rebuild daily life and identity around the absence
- Reassess financial and housing decisions
- Create lasting ways to honor the memory
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