{"id":329,"date":"2018-01-22T12:15:58","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T17:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pbdev.ca\/ocp\/?page_id=329"},"modified":"2021-04-21T12:15:13","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T16:15:13","slug":"topic-20-grief-the-stages-and-how-to-cope","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/caregiversupport.hpco.ca\/ocp\/topic-20-grief-the-stages-and-how-to-cope\/","title":{"rendered":"Topic 20: Grief: The Stages and How to Cope"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Topic: 20<\/div>\n

Grief: The Stages and How to Cope<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"PDF\"Download a PDF version of this topic<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Use the player to hear an audio version of this topic\u2026<\/span><\/p>\nhttp:\/\/caregiversupport.hpco.ca\/ocp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Topic-20.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What You Need to Know<\/div>\n

Are you feeling grief now before<\/em> something has even happened?<\/p>\n

If so, you may be grieving for what is.<\/em><\/p>\n

Are you feeling grief now for what was<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Are you feeling grief now for what was hoped for<\/em>?<\/p>\n

If this all sounds familiar then you may be experiencing anticipatory grief. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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What is Anticipatory Grief?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grief can be felt in anticipation<\/strong> of a loss that will eventually occur. It is a way of dealing with a crisis that cannot be solved that threatens people\u2019s life goals—a way of striving for balance. Holding onto hope must be balanced with finding ways to let go. It is important that as a caregiver you not detach emotionally from the person that you are caring for even when that person begins to withdraw.<\/p>\n

Anticipatory grief is not entirely directed towards the future. It also includes grief for the past and present losses. People grieve for the life, abilities, health and all the other things that have been lost because of a life-threatening illness.<\/p>\n

(Unconscious preparation for a status change or death, Corles 2015, Oxford Textbook of Palliative Nursing)<\/em><\/p>\n

What is Grief?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Grief is a natural response to loss. There is no right way to grieve and no set timetable for grieving. Everyone is different. For some people, grief is an intense, emotional, all-consuming experience. For others it is a rather mild process. Ethnicity, gender, culture and age all impact how people grieve. If mourning is the outward expression of sorrow often shared in a social setting with others, then grief is the inward, solitary or private response.<\/p>\n

Grief can be:<\/strong><\/p>\n