An Assessment of Anticipatory Grief as Experienced by Family Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia

Abstract

The growing number of patients with dementia represents a significant physical and mental health challenge not only for the health professions, but also, and more dramatically, for primary caregivers of dementia patients. This study deepens our understanding of dementia caregivers’ anxiety, stress, and depression by examining the presence and extent of grief and anticipatory grief that may be in the experience, and comparing the experience to that of cardiac patients’ caregivers. Results suggest that 1.) grief is much more present for dementia caregivers; 2.) anticipatory grief is an identifiable part of the dementia caregiving experience, and 3.) the MM-CGI-Short Form is a reliable multicultural instrument for use in evaluating anticipatory grief in family caregivers of dementia patients.