Health & Lifestyle | Posted on November 6th, 2026 | return to news

Anticipatory grief workshops for Dorset

Workshops are designed to help those dealing with living grief where the relationship keeps changing shape.

We all experience huge sadness when someone close to us dies, but there is another type of bereavement which is being highlighted and addressed by a Dorset funeral group – ‘anticipatory grief’.
Along with the charity PramaLife, accredited counsellor Cindy Weller who works with Douch Family Funeral Directors is running workshops to explain the nature of what is sometimes called ‘ambiguous loss’.

It is the type of grief that occurs when a terminal diagnosis is given and loved ones and carers must come to terms with it.

In dementia it is often called the ‘long goodbye’ and it can feel like the person dies twice; when their mind dies and then when their body dies.

Douch Family Funeral Directors is running the workshops with PramaLife for its Memory Lane groups and volunteers, but is planning to widen them out for others in the community.

PramaLife supports older adults in BCP and East Dorset through a range of support groups, special interest activities and telephone befriending.

Its aim is to improve the quality of life for older adults and their carers, as well as people living with memory loss and other long term health conditions.

PramaLife runs a dementia carers’ group and information course as well as over 80 clubs, groups and activities to support older people and adult carers.

Cindy said: “Anticipatory loss is the grief we feel before a loss actually happens – when someone we love is living with a terminal illness, advanced dementia, or a serious life-limiting condition.

“It can start at the moment of a diagnosis, or creep up slowly over months or years – many carers of someone with dementia call this ‘the long goodbye’.

“You are grieving someone who’s still with you and the grief is real even while they’re right in front of you.
“The person you’re caring for is still there, but the relationship keeps changing shape, and the losses can happen again and again in ways that don’t get any easier.

“There are many feelings that people might feel including sadness, guilt, anger, numbness, fear and loneliness.

“The workshops are designed to help those dealing with this type of grief and with a growing elderly population there is more anticipatory grief around.”

Emma Regan from the funeral group said: “We have been working with Cindy for many years and we run various groups that deal with grief.

“The anticipatory grief workshop is new and we are running them with Prama Life for their local support groups but plan to widen their scope in due course.

“Many people are affected by this type of loss and counselling can really help.”