This National Cancer Institute web site features a number of explanations and resource links on bereavement and grief.
One section, titled anticipatory grief, describes how people often feel and behave when the death of a loved one is expected. This type of grief usually applies in a situation where a person is seriously ill and death is imminent.
I have spoken with a few of my friends, and they often report that after a parent dies, they tend to zero in on living (and often healthy) senior parents with extra concern and advice. This happens without a lot of thought. Thus the overcompensation I described in yesterday’s post seems like a slightly different type of anticipatory grief. Unconsciously we are doing all that we can to prevent the loss of another person we love.
I am not a counselor or psychologist, so these are merely my thoughts and observations, not based on any expertise.
As Our Parents Age So Do We 