By Dr. Schola Matovu | Nursing Professor | Nurse Scientist | Director of Global Learning and EngagementAug 4, 2026
The Losses We Don’t Always See: Lessons from Grandparent-Caregivers in Uganda
When most people think about loss, they think about death.
Loss has a funeral. Loss has visitors. Loss has rituals.
But what happens when loss has none of those things?
That question stayed with me as I listened to the stories of 32 grandparent-caregivers in Uganda who participated in my qualitative research study.
What they described challenged my understanding of what loss looks like and how communities recognize it.
The Stories Behind the Interviews
As I sat with grandparents sharing their experiences of raising grandchildren, I expected conversations about caregiving challenges, financial concerns, and family responsibilities.
I heard those stories.
But I also heard something deeper.
Again and again, participants described losses that were difficult to name.
These were not always losses caused by death.
Instead, they were losses that unfolded gradually.
A son who once provided financial support could no longer help.
A retirement that never arrived because caregiving responsibilities continued.
An expectation of shared family responsibility that slowly faded.
A sense of independence that quietly disappeared.
Unlike bereavement, there was often no moment when these losses were formally acknowledged.
They simply became part of daily life.
When Loss Is Visible
One of the most striking themes involved how communities respond when loss is publicly recognized.
Participants described how families, friends, and neighbors often gather when someone dies.
People visit.
Food is shared.
Support is provided.
Grief becomes visible.
The community recognizes the experience and responds.
Several participants described this as a time when people “come around you.”
This social recognition matters.
It reminds people they are not carrying sorrow alone.
When Loss Is Invisible
Yet many caregivers described another reality.
Some losses did not bring people together.
No one arrived.
No rituals marked the transition.
No collective acknowledgement occurred.
Instead, these losses accumulated slowly in the background of caregiving.
The loss of financial stability.
The loss of future plans.
The loss of expected family roles.
The loss of shared caregiving responsibility.
These experiences did not occur as isolated events.
They often unfolded simultaneously.
The Layering of Loss
Perhaps the most important lesson from this research is that loss was rarely singular.
Financial strain was connected to caregiving demands.
Emotional stress was connected to changing family relationships.
Social isolation was connected to shifting household roles.
These experiences interacted and reinforced one another.
The caregivers were not simply managing one challenge at a time.
They were navigating layers of responsibility and loss simultaneously.
This complexity is easy to overlook when we focus only on highly visible forms of hardship.
What Sustains People Through Complexity?
Despite these challenges, participants also revealed remarkable strength.
They did not necessarily describe overcoming adversity.
Instead, they described learning how to live within it.
Many reframed caregiving as a responsibility tied to family continuity.
Others drew strength from faith.
Many spoke about grandchildren as a source of purpose and meaning.
These strategies were not solutions.
They were ways of making life livable.
And that distinction matters.
Why This Matters Beyond Uganda
Although this research was conducted with grandparent-caregivers in Uganda, the lessons extend far beyond one setting.
Around the world, families are adapting to changing economic realities, migration, illness, caregiving demands, and shifting social structures.
Many caregivers carry invisible burdens.
Many forms of loss remain unrecognized.
For researchers, this means looking beyond obvious outcomes.
For practitioners, it means asking deeper questions.
For policymakers, it means considering how support systems can address not only crises, but also the slow accumulation of hardship.
For communities, it means recognizing that not all losses announce themselves.
Final Reflection
The greatest lesson from this study was not that caregiving involves loss.
We already know that.
The lesson was that some losses receive recognition, support, and collective response.
Others quietly unfold while people continue caring for others.
Both matter.
And both deserve our attention.
Reflection Question
Now that you know, what invisible loss might someone in your life be carrying that has never been publicly recognized?