ABSTRACT
A caregiver’s own emotional reaction to the death of a loved one after a long illness comes as a surprise to many family care providers. Although many who have provided care and support realize that their family member is now released from pain, the caregivers are sometimes shocked into a numbness that their own caregiving duties are over. Some describe this feeling as “swimming under water.” Even care providers who have traveled a very long road with their ailing relatives feel they are unprepared for the finality of death.
