The suffering in silence of older parents whose child died of cancer: a qualitative study

As life expectancy grows, the death of an adult child becomes a highly prevalent problem for older adults. The present study is based on 9 interviews and explores the experience of parents (≥70 years) outliving an adult child. The bereaved parents described some silencing processes constraining their expression of grief. When an adult dies, the social support system nearly automatically directs its care towards the bereaved nuclear family. Parental grief at old age is therefore often not recognized and/or acknowledged. Health care providers should be sensitive to the silent grief of older parents both in geriatric and oncology care settings.

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