22/10/2025
Losing Someone Who’s Still Alive: Ambiguous Grief in Dementia.
A sad reality of how families feels about their dementia patients.
When dementia enters your life, it doesn’t take your loved one all at once. It takes them in pieces, a memory today, a familiar phrase tomorrow, a spark in their eyes that fades too soon.
You still see them every day. You still hold their hand, help them eat, laugh with them when you can. But somewhere deep down, you know, you’re grieving someone who’s still here. It's a sad reality.
It’s a quiet kind of grief. One without closure or goodbyes. You mourn moments as they disappear, learning to love what remains while letting go of what used to be.
There are days when you miss their old voice, their old warmth, their stories that once filled the room. And then there are days when you just feel numb, guilty for wishing things were different.
This is ambiguous grief, loving and losing, all at once. It’s the heartbreak of being present for someone who’s slowly slipping away, even as you hold on tighter.
And yet, within all the pain, there’s still something sacred, the small smiles, the moments of recognition, the gentle touch that says, “I’m still here.”
You haven’t truly lost them. The love remains, quiet, patient, and endlessly strong.
We love you at BirdieBox.
