Do you have to tell a loved one that a member of the family has died?

I don't care how old your Nanna is or how sick you think she is; she has the right to know NOW that her grandson has passed. You don't have the moral right to withhold that news from her, only because you THINK she is too old and too sick to bear it.

She might be too sick to attend the funeral, but she has the right to send flowers if she wants to, and that may well be the LAST thing she'll ever be able to do in order to show her love for him. By not telling her, you're depriving her of that right. Tell her!! If she's mentally competent, then she's entitled to be able to begin the grieving process now - not at sometime in the future when it's convenient for you. It would be cruel of you not to do so.

Unless she has been declared mentally incompetent and you have been named by the Court as her legal guardian, there is NOTHING you can order the nurses or the doctors to withhold from her - be it news about her medical condition or news of the death of a family member.

Who is reporting that the nurses said this? Parts of this were hard to follow, and it sounds like several family members have gotten involved. So it's possible they misunderstood what the nurses said.

If they didn't misunderstand, an adult in the family needs to tell these nurses that they will be sued out of existence if they repeat this to her. There's no such thing as a law that says she has to be told, and it's actually common for people to withhold bad news. One common scenario is a car wreck where a partner or best friend gets killed and the other person is seriously injured. Nobody rushes to tell the injured person what happened!

The nurses are not allowed to tell her if you do not want them to, the news should come from you, see hospital management about it. The only thing is, is she wondering why he does not visit? if she is then you may have to tell her sooner.

If I was Nana, I'd want to know.

How is that funny? Sounds like they are going to tell her whether you like it or not.

i think the nurses need to mind their own business and let you decide when to tell her

You don't have to tell a dying loved one, that a member of the family has died. Waiting until she gets better is a good idea.

But at the same time, I would NOT lie to them if they ask about that person. If they don't ask, don't say anything.

PS... Shame on the nurses, for suggesting that they will tell the woman if you don't. THAT IS NOT THEIR PLACE TO DO SO. If Nana asks them, they could just state to her, that she needs to ask someone else in her family.

It might be a good idea

They don't need your permission to tell her the news. If she is his next of kin, she needs to know the truth. Don't assume she won't be able to cope.

don't tell her. otherwise, she might die the next week or the next two weeks. Use your common sense. Does a dying mother really want to find out her son passed away before she dies two weeks later? I understand why you would feel its important to tell her but its not worth it for her. You don't want to see her go too, right? My aunt died of cancer at the age of 70. I never told her mother aged 92 that she passed away. Both are dead now. But I suggest giving her an easy death. Dying a heartbroken mother is the worst.