<p>This paper investigates experiences of grief amongst people with dementia. This is a topic that has largely been neglected, with most research focusing on the experiences of caregivers. I draw on this research, as well as first-person testimonies from people with the condition, to highlight important and as-yet unacknowledged parallels between the two groups. In both cases, there is a combination of what has been referred to as ‘anticipatory grief’ and ‘ambiguous loss’. Inextricable from these experiences are efforts to delay and compensate for loss through utilization of scaffolding. Ultimately, my aim in this article is to present a phenomenological account of how both groups analogously make use of this scaffolding to try to sustain and disambiguate possibilities. In doing so, I provide a deeper understanding of how grief, loss and adaptation unfold within the lived experience of dementia.</p>