Ambiguous loss in dementia care

Abstract

The lived experience of ageing brings with it a multitude of achievements and gratifications but also losses. Losses can vary: they can be physical, emotional, social and spiritual losses. Losses can be explicit and easy to recognise, or implicit, vague and ambiguous, such as the losses associated with dementia. Ambiguous loss was pioneered by psychotherapist Pauline Boss (2001), who outlined two types of ambiguous losses. The first type of ambiguous loss occurs when someone is psychologically present but physically absent. Examples include the loss of physical contact due to immigration, kidnapping or missing bodies during war, or someone who is lost and never found. [Excerpt]