Dementia and Anticipatory Grief: Exploring Family Caregivers' Experiences

The growing number of individuals with dementia represents a significant physical and mental health challenge not only for the health professions, but also, and even more dramatically, for the primary and secondary caregivers of dementia patients. This book contributes to a deeper understanding of dementia caregivers¿ anxiety, stress, and depression by examining the presence and extent of grief that may be a part of the experience. Further, this study identifies and examines the particular part of grief that is referred to as anticipatory grief offering support that 1.) Grief is present for dementia caregivers; 2.) anticipatory grief is part of the dementia caregiving experience, and 3.) the MM-CGI- Short Form is a reliable and valid instrument in evaluating anticipatory grief in family caregivers of dementia patients. This work suggests the need for implementing anticipatory grief assistance to caregivers and further implicates the need and potential benefits of integrating anticipatory grief assistance into existing caregiver support programs.