Author: Anne Bogardus, Founder and former caregiver
Losing a parent is never easy, and when you’ve been a caregiver to them for any length of time, the loss can be even more keenly felt. Losing a parent suddenly is hard–my mom became ill and died within 48 hours. It was a devastating loss.
Watching a parent linger as they die is heart-wrenching. This is how I lost my dad. I don’t know which was harder, I just know that I miss them both every single day.
It can feel strange, though, to start grieving while a parent is still living. You can find yourself thinking about the funeral, then feeling guilty because maybe they won’t die, maybe they’ll recover. You can find yourself exhibiting the symptoms of grief described in this video–denial, mood swings, forgetfulness, and disorganized or confused behavior.
Take heart–this is not an unusual reaction, as Diane Snyder Cowan, Director of the Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Bereavement Center explains in this video.