Grief is Complicated

Grief is Complicated I had no idea that there was such a thing as Complicated Grief (CG). About 9 percent of bereaved older women experience CG, a serious and debilitating mental health problem associated with functional impairment and increased suicide risk. The symptoms can include prolonged grief, frequent thoughts and...

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5 Things I Learned About Hospice Care When Mom Passed

Hospice is a Conscious Choice A month before mom passed, I had the opportunity as a healthcare consultant to attend a health care meeting at a local residential hospice. In my 15 years living in North Carolina, I had never been there and boy was I impressed. So when mom...

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5 Things I Learned About Hospice Care When Mom Passed

Hospice is a Conscious Choice A month before mom passed, I had the opportunity to attend a health care meeting at a local residential hospice. In my 15 years living in North Carolina, I had never been there and boy was I impressed. So when mom faced the need for...

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Earlier Hospice Enrollment Would Improve Quality of End-Of-Life Care

Earlier Hospice Enrollment Would Improve Quality of End-Of-Life Care Among family members of older patients who died of advanced-stage cancer, earlier hospice enrollment, avoidance of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions within 30 days of death, and death occurring outside the hospital were associated with perceptions of better end-of-life care, according...

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Loneliness Can Increase Risk of Premature Death by 14%

Loneliness is more than a feeling. It is a major health risk that can increase the risk of premature death by 14 percent. A team of researchers, including leading loneliness expert John Cacioppo, has released a study on how loneliness triggers physiological responses that can ultimately make us sick. Published...

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People Who Fill Out Advance Directives More Likely to Seek Interventions

A new study finds that nearly a third of people who fill out advance health care directives — a person’s wishes for end-of-life care — request medical interventions. The research from DePaul University – “Assessing Advance Care Planning: Examining Autonomous Selections in an Advance Directive,” – was published in the...

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