Anticipatory grief has benefits of which we’re not aware.

Is it normal to feel grief for someone when they’re still alive? We may not realize that’s what we’re feeling. Many people assume it’s a form of Depression and treat it as such.

What we’re feeling is actually called anticipatory grief. Millions of people deal with this feeling every day. It’s not unique to those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s.

In this episode, I talked with Harriet Hodgson about anticipatory grief. Harriet has been a freelance Health and wellness writer for 38 years, but more importantly, she has experienced more than her share of suffering.

Harriet and I talk about the many forms of early grief, how the process can be beneficial, and how you can add it to your coping tools.

Harriet’s book also tackles; grief as a reaction to change, early grief’s symptoms and stages, response to early grief, and when early grief gets complicated.

Dying and grief are not topics most people want to discuss (or listen to), but I know you’ll find this conversation enlightening and beneficial. You can also check out Harriet’s book, Smiling Through Your Tears. Understanding the Emotions, you’re experiencing is another healthy step caregivers should take.

Smiling Through Your Tears

Related Episode

Moving On After Caregiving
Transcript
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Jennifer Fink Podcaster

After helping care for her grandmother who had vascular dementia, Jennifer realized her Mother was showing signs of early onset Alzheimer’s. After the death of her father in 2017 Jennifer went searching for answers to many of the common questions and Alzheimer’s caregiver faces. Being a busy entrepreneur Jennifer realized that a podcast would be the easiest way to learn more about caregiving while completing other tasks.

Sadly, in late 2017 she only found one and it didn’t quite address what she was looking for, so she did the next best thing, and started her own. The Fading Memories podcast is now in it’s fourth year and despite the death of her Mom in March 2020, Jennifer is still talking to caregivers and still learning how to be an excellent caregiver. On the podcast she discusses caregiving, brain health, self-care and how to age well.