137 Learning to Grieve, Learning to Live

For some reason, I've always been fascinated by grief and the grieving process. It seems to be everywhere—in the TV shows I watch, the podcasts I listen to, and the conversations I have with friends. Every one of us experiences grief, yet no two people grieve in exactly the same way. I've become curious about why that is and what we can learn from one another's experiences. That curiosity led me to attend a Support Group Leader session on grief at the World Parkinson Congress last May. One of the presenters was my friend, Karen McIntyre, who introduced an idea that really resonated with me: grief doesn't begin only when someone we love dies. For people living with Parkinson's, grief can occur every time they lose an ability that was once part of everyday life—driving a car, walking long distances, writing by hand, or even enjoying the smell of a favorite meal. What does that kind of grief look like? Is grieving the loss of an ability different from grieving the death of a loved one? Or do they share more similarities than we realize? To explore those questions, I invited Karen, who writes thoughtfully about grief on her Substack, to join me in interviewing an expert in grief and bereavement. Together, we discuss how grief affects all of us, why it takes so many different forms, and how people with Parkinson's and their care partners can better understand and navigate the losses that accompany the disease. This episode is truly for everyone because, at some point in our lives, we all grieve someone or something that has mattered deeply to us. https://clairebidwellsmith.com/ https://www.elegy.co/ https://substack.com/@inmyshoesmemoir Thank you to our sponsor – Boston Scientific, the maker of Vercise Genus, a Deep Brain Stimulation or DBS system. To learn more about the latest treatment options for Parkinson's disease at https://DBSandMe.com/17branches