Name the Feeling: Ambiguous Loss (with Susy Favaro)

Our guest, Susy Favaro, a social worker from Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, shares with us her connection to the term coined by Dr. Pauline Boss, ambiguous loss, and how the implementation of her guidelines can help caregivers understand the emotions around their person’s presence & absence simultaneously. Susy helps us untangle the confusion around grief, guilt and a myriad of emotions that caregivers can feel at any time about their loved one with dementia. She creates a safe space for caregivers, reminding us that “it’s not you that is messed up, it’s the situation that’s messed up,” and how striving for perfection is no longer useful, that “good enough is good enough.” She assures listeners that once you embrace this idea of ambiguous loss and share it with others, you won’t look back.