title: The suffering in silence of older parents whose child died of cancer: A qualitative study.
abstract: As life expectancy grows, the death of an adult child becomes a highly prevalent problem for older adults. The present study is based on nine 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.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Geriatric Medicine , Ghent University Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Liesbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Humbeeck
authors.affiliation: b Oncology Centre and Department of Geriatric Medicine , Ghent University Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Let
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dillen
authors.affiliation: a Department of Geriatric Medicine , Ghent University Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Piers
authors.affiliation: c Department of Public Health , University Centre for Nursing and Midwifery, Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grypdonck
authors.affiliation: a Department of Geriatric Medicine , Ghent University Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Nele
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van Den Noortgate
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001293:Attitude to Death; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D066296:Grounded Theory; D006167:Guilt; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008132:Loneliness; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013315:Stress, Psychological