Authors Nader Robert Shabahangi and Bogna Szymkiewicz use the term “forgetfulness care” when discussing issues of care for people having the diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease.
In this section, they discuss the anticipatory grief that caregivers can go through:
Feelings of Loss
“If you feel close to a person who develops symptoms of forgetfulness, you are likely to experience feelings of grief and loss — not only after a person dies, but also as the condition progresses.
This is sometimes called anticipatory grief and includes:
- Loss of a person you knew before.
- Loss of a relationship you liked
- Loss of a person’s former self.
Friends and family members may experience:
- Loss of future plans (going on holidays next year, taking care of the garden together)
- Loss of companionship and support.
- Loss of a lifestyle they once had together (reading newspapers and sharing comments every morning, going to the opera once a month, eating lunch at the kitchen table).
Caregivers may experience:
- Grief and a sense of loss when they see pain and suffering on a daily basis.
- Sadness and anger as a person with forgetfulness symptoms slowly goes to another realm.
Grieving for a person with forgetfulness symptoms alternates:
- Between despair and strong hope that everything will return to the way it was,
- Between acceptance and non-acceptance.
For THE BEST information about forgetfulness diseases, hop over to Alzheimer’s Speaks Blog. Lori is incredible and her blog is one of the most valuable resources out there!!!!
Will post a link when Lori and I sit down and talk about grief issues related to loss connected to losing someone you love who has lived with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Stay Tuned!
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- Grief and Alzheimer’s – Anguish Over Multiple Losses : Huffingtonpost.com (larkkirkwood.wordpress.com)
- Crazy Ideas about Grief (namasteconsultinginc.com)
- DSM-5 and Bereavement Care (psychologytoday.com)
- Grief Theory: Q & A: Disenfranchised Grief (namasteconsultinginc.com)
- Really Important Issue – FMLA for bereavement time (namasteconsultinginc.com)
- Psychiatric ‘bible’may classify the bereaved as mentally ill: journal (windsorstar.com)
