But if there were feelings of ambivalence and guilt between the caregiver and care recipient, then the caregiver feels more grief at the time of death. Caregivers who obtain support and comfort from family and friends at the time of death seem to feel less grief than caregivers who stay isolated. For example, daughter caregivers feel less grief if at first, they get support from a parent , and then obtain support and comfort from widowed friends. Spouse caregivers who talk with others a great deal about the death of their spouse find that, a year later, they think less frequently about the spouse's death . If caregivers feel anger or guilt toward the patient, these feelings will make it more difficult to prepare for the eventual death of the patient.
Many caregivers feel guilt when they place their loved one in a nursing home.
These caregivers have more grief burden because of the guilt . Guilt may be felt by the caregiver because they feel they are not being caring enough, or maybe that they could have done something to have prevented a nursing home placement. Caregivers also feel anger for varied reasons. They may be angry at the patient who makes life difficult. They may be angry at other kin who do not do their share of caregiving.