The Two-Track Model of Dementia Grief (TTM-DG): The theoretical and clinical significance of the continuing bond in sickness and in death

Portuguese Caregivers of Persons With Alzheimer's Disease in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of the Grieving Process

This study addresses the experiences of informal caregivers caring for elderly family members with Alzheimer's disease (AD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study includes a sample of eight informal caregivers who were evaluated through a semi-structured interview six months after the death of a loved one they cared for. A thematic content analysis was applied to the interviews and yielded two higher-order domains: (1) Experiencing the AD and the death of a family member and (2) The grieving process during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results provide valuable insights into family caregivers' experiences regarding the profound emotional impact of caregiving and grief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Caregivers maintain their identity even after loss, underscoring the enduring impact of caregiving. The identity as a caregiver impacted coping and grief responses, highlighting the need for tailored interventions.

Continuing bonds in men grieving a loved one

OBJECTIVE

to examine internalized and externalized continuing bonds in men grieving a loved one.

METHOD

a correlational, descriptive and cross-sectional study. Convenience sample comprised by 170 mourning men. The variables were mediators of mourning, continuing bonds and sociodemographic data. The instrument used was an online questionnaire comprised by mediators of mourning, a continuing bonds scale and sociodemographic data. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and Spearman's coefficient were used. The significance level adopted was p<0.05.

RESULTS

the participants' mean age was 36.61 years old (SD=13.40), and 80.00% had Higher Education. The mean values corresponding to internalized and externalized continuing bonds were 24.85 (SD=7.93) and 7.68 (SD=2.33), respectively. Significant differences were established referring to internalized and externalized continuing bonds in terms of kinship with the deceased person (p<0.001), and none with the cause of death or with the time elapsed since the event. No significant correlations were defined between internalized/externalized continuing bonds and mediators of mourning.

CONCLUSION

grieving men express internalized and externalized continuing bonds frequently and occasionally, respectively, with differences according to who the deceased person was. The Nursing discipline might devise specific strategies that strengthen coping with grief in this population group. (1) It was usual to continue the bond with the deceased loved one. (2) The expression of internalized continuing bonds was frequent after the death. (3) When facing the loss, there was occasional expression of externalized continuing bonds. (4) There were differences in internalized and externalized continuing bonds according to kinship. (5) There were no associations between continuing bonds and mediators of mourning.

[Anticipatory grief in family caregivers of persons with dementia. Psychosocial correlates and impact on caregiver's health: A literature review]

INTRODUCTION

Taking care of a relative with dementia may be linked to negative consequences for the caregiver. One of the processes that can be experienced is anticipatory grief, that is defined as the feelings of pain and loss that appear in the caregiver before the death of the person cared for.

OBJECTIVES

The review aimed to conceptualize anticipatory grief in this population, to study the related psychosocial variables, and to know the repercussions for the health of the caregiver.

METHOD

A systematic search was made under the directives of PRISMA statement in the ProQuest, PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), and Scopus databases, including studies published in the last 10 years (2013-2023).

RESULTS

A total of 160 articles were obtained, 15 being finally selected. It is observed that anticipatory grief is defined as an ambiguous process since it appeared before the death of the sick family member. Being a female caregiver, spouse of a family member with dementia, having a closer relationship with him and/or having an important responsibility in care, are associated with a greater chance of experiencing anticipatory grief. In relation to the person cared for, if he or she is in a severe phase of the disease, is younger, and/or presents problematic behaviours, there is also greater anticipatory grief in the family caregiver. Anticipatory grief has a significant impact on caregivers' physical, psychological, and social health, being associated with greater burden, depressive symptomatology, and social isolation.

CONCLUSIONS

Anticipatory grief turns out to be a relevant concept in the context of dementia, being necessary to include it in intervention programs for this population.

Risk, Resilience, and the Two-Track Model of Dementia Grief Among Spouses of People Living With Cognitive Decline

Pre-death grief in the context of dementia caregiving is a significant risk factor for depression, burden, anxiety, and adjustment difficulties. The Two-Track Model of Dementia Grief (TTM-DG) provides a bifocal perspective addressing the nature of the emotional attachment to a loved one living with cognitive impairment, along with a medico-psychiatric perspective associated with stress, trauma, and change in life. The aims of the present study were to empirically validate the components of the model as to identify salutary and risk factors for maladaptive grief responses. Participants were 62 spouses of people living with cognitive impairment, and a control group of 32 spouses. All completed a battery of self-report questionnaires. Structural Equation Modeling yielded six variables consistent with the TTM-DG: partner's behavioral disorders; caregiver's burden; social support; physical health; attachment anxiety; and dementia grief as an outcome measure. Additional findings addressed participants at risk for grief difficulties. The findings provide empirical support for the utility of the TTM-DG in the identification of risk factors associated with maladaptive responses and pre-death grief following a spousal cognitive decline. The TTM-DG can assist in the formulation of evidence-based evaluations and interventions to assist spouses caring for their loved ones living with dementia.

Spousal Mourning for Partners Living with Cognitive Impairment: The Interplay of Attachment and the Two-Track Model of Dementia Grief

The aim of the present research was to study the interplay of Attachment Theory and the Two-Track Model of Dementia Grief. To examine the research hypotheses, a cross-sectional study was designed and included 122 participants (Mean age = 72.77) drawn from four groups: spouses of people living with mild to moderate cognitive impairment, spouses of people living with advanced cognitive impairment, widowed spouses of deceased dementia patients, and a control group. Participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires. Results showed that secure attachment constitutes a significant protective factor with regard to bio-psycho-social symptomatology (Track I) as well as difficulties in the relational bond with the spouse and grief over their deterioration (Track II). The results of the research support integrating attachment-based insights into clinical work with spouses coping with the losses accompanying cognitive decline and the grief processes that are operant in these losses.

The Two-Track Model of Dementia Grief and spousal response to illness and death

This cross-sectional study examined the experiences of healthy spouses caring for their partners via the Two-Track Model of Dementia Grief thereby broadening our understanding of the functional and relational aspects of this process. The 122 participating older adults had spouses drawn from four groups: mild to moderate cognitive-impairment; advanced cognitive-impairment; deceased following dementia; and, healthy controls. They completed a battery of self-report measures. Results showed elevated scores on both tracks of the model for all affected groups. Assisting spouses of those living with cognitive-impairment begins with the earliest symptoms of decline and continues after the death of the loved one.

Between sexual assault and compassion: The experience of living with a spouse's dementia-related hypersexuality-A narrative case-study

BACKGROUND

Hypersexuality is one of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. This symptom can lead to poor quality of life for the person who lives with dementia, as well as for his or her caregiver, who might be exposed to sexual assault.

AIM

This study aimed to highlight the experience of an older woman living and coping with a spouse who exhibits dementia-related hypersexuality.

METHOD

A narrative case-study of a single case was designed, composed of four semi-structured interviews conducted over a 10-month period. The data were analyzed through thematic, structural, and performance analysis.

FINDINGS

Four phases were revealed, depicting the experience of being a partner and caregiver of a spouse with dementia-related hypersexuality: a) "I need help": A distress call; b) "It depends how long I agree to go on with it": Living with the ambiguous reality of dementia-related hypersexual behavior within an ongoing intimate relationship; c) "It's as if I'm hugging someone who's no longer alive": The transition from the previous couplehood identity to a new couplehood identity; and d) "I am just taking care of him as if he is a child": A compassionate couplehood identity construction.

CONCLUSIONS

Living with a partner with dementia-related hypersexuality is a distressing experience for the caregiver-spouse. Yet, positive memories from a long intimate relationship can lead to the creation of a compassionate identity, which supports the caregiving process, and creates a sense of acceptance and meaning making. This, in turn, enables a positive aging experience. These finding have some practical implications for supporting and intervening in such cases.

Caregivers' Grief in Acquired Non-death Interpersonal Loss (NoDIL): A Process Based Model With Implications for Theory, Research, and Intervention

The number of family members caring and caregiving for a loved one undergoing physical and mental changes continues to increase dramatically. For many, this ongoing experience not only involves the “burden of caregiving” but also the “burden of grief” as their loved-one’s newfound medical condition can result in the loss of the person they previously knew. Dramatic cognitive, behavioral, and personality changes, often leave caregivers bereft of the significant relationship they shared with the affected person prior to the illness or injury. This results in what we term conditions of acquired “non-death interpersonal loss” (NoDIL). Current approaches to these losses use an amalgam of models drawn from both death and non-death loss. Despite their utility, these frameworks have not adequately addressed the unique processes occurring in the interpersonal sphere where the grieving caregiver needs to reach some modus vivendi regarding the triad of “who the person was,” “who they are now,” and “who they will yet become.” In this paper we propose a process-based model which addresses cognitive-emotional-behavioral challenges caregivers meet in the face of their new reality. These require a revision of the interpersonal schemas and the relationships that takes into account the ongoing interactions with the affected family member. The model and its utility to identify adaptive and maladaptive responses to NoDIL is elaborated upon with clinical material obtained from caregivers of people diagnosed with major neuro-cognitive disorder and pediatric traumatic brain injury. The article concludes with implications for theory, research and clinical intervention.

Intervention Program to Improve Grief-Related Symptoms in Caregivers of Patients Diagnosed With Dementia

The objectives of the present study were to adapt a grief intervention program to family caregivers of patients with dementia, and assess its effectiveness in improving the symptoms of grief and other health-related variables. The intervention was based on Shear and Bloom's grief intervention program, with the necessary adaptations for use in the grieving process for a family member's illness. A total of 52 family caregivers of individuals with dementia participated. They were evaluated using a battery of self-report measures assessing grief, overload, resilience, post-traumatic growth, experiential avoidance, health-related quality of life, and benefits of care. The results suggest that the program is effective in improving grief symptoms, caregiver burden, resilience, post-traumatic growth, and quality of life of family caregivers. It is necessary to create and implement interventions targeting caregivers' feelings and manifestations of ambiguous grief, because there is a lack of programs providing an efficient solution for the mental and physical health of caregivers, and because of the human and socioeconomic cost involved in neglecting this group.

Improving Dignity of Care in Community-Dwelling Elderly Patients with Cognitive Decline and Their Caregivers. The Role of Dignity Therapy

Demographic changes have placed age-related mental health disorders at the forefront of public health challenges over the next three decades worldwide. Within the context of cognitive impairment and neurocognitive disorders among elderly people, the fragmentation of the self is associated with existential suffering, loss of meaning and dignity for the patient, as well as with a significant burden for the caregiver. Psychosocial interventions are part of a person-centered approach to cognitive impairment (including early stage dementia and dementia). Dignity therapy (DT) is a therapeutic intervention that has been shown to be effective in reducing existential distress, mood, and anxiety symptoms and improving dignity in persons with cancer and other terminal conditions in palliative care settings. The aims of this paper were: (i) To briefly summarize key issues and challenges related to care in gerontology considering specifically frail elderly/elderly with cognitive decline and their caregivers; and (ii) to provide a narrative review of the recent knowledge and evidence on DT in the elderly population with cognitive impairment. We searched the electronic data base (CINAHL, SCOPUS, PSycInfo, and PubMed studies) for studies regarding the application of DT in the elderly. Additionally, given the caregiver’s role as a custodian of diachronic unity of the cared-for and the need to help caregivers to cope with their own existential distress and anticipatory grief, we also propose a DT-dyadic approach addressing the needs of the family as a whole.

Traumatic Bereavements: Rebalancing the Relationship to the Deceased and the Death Story Using the Two-Track Model of Bereavement

Bereavements that occur under external traumatic circumstances increase the risk for dysfunction, trauma symptomatology, as well as disordered and prolonged grief. While the majority of individuals who have experienced traumatic bereavements do not meet formal criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD), or prolonged grief disorder (PGD), the degree of distress and dysfunction for these bereaved can be quite significant. The assessment and intervention paradigms in use with traumatic bereavements often prioritize the trauma and bypass the centrality of the interpersonal loss. By using a bifocal approach in conceptualizing bereavement, the Two-Track Model of Bereavement (TTMB) rebalances the approach to the class of traumatic bereavements. Track I examines biopsychosocial functioning and symptoms of trauma, and track II focuses on the nature of the ongoing relationship with the deceased and the death story that may also have elements of traumatic response. The model and its application serve to identify both adaptive and maladaptive responses to loss along both axes to optimally focus interventions where needed. The story of the death, the psychological relationship with the deceased, and the presence of biopsychosocial difficulties each have a part to play in assessment and intervention. A case study of assessment and intervention following traumatic bereavement due to suicide illustrates how attention to each of these factors in the TTMB can facilitate change. Ultimately, the relational bond with the deceased is a major vector in grief and mourning. Assessment and intervention with traumatic bereavements require attention to dysfunction and symptoms of trauma as well as to the death story and the state of the relationship to the deceased.