Are they grieving? A qualitative analysis examining grief in caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease.

Although there is an abundance of caregiving literature, there is a paucity of research that examines the grief reactions of caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Qualitative research methodology was utilized to identify themes about the grief reactions expressed by caregivers. Results found that although some caregivers reported that they were not grieving, there was still a strong sense of loss in their descriptions of their caregiving experience. Additionally, for the caregivers who reported that they were grieving, their grief was characterized by multiple losses that accumulated during the disease process.