Grief among demented elderly individuals: a pilot study.

Grief behaviors of 17 elderly persons with dementia living at nursing homes were observed. When compared with bereaved with normal cognitive ability, both similarities and differences were found. Similarities seemed to exist for irritability, lost appetite, increased sedative medication, bodily complaints, less physical activity, and less interest in happy events.

Anticipatory grief among close relatives of persons with dementia in comparison with close relatives of patients with cancer.

Close relatives of persons with dementia self-reported reactions on the Anticipatory Grief Scale (AGS), were observed by nurses (Study I), and compared with relatives of cancer patients in a study using the same methodology (Study II). Study I showed an overall stressful situation including feelings of missing and longing, inability to accept the terminal fact, preoccupation with the ill, tearfulness, sleeping problems, anger, loneliness, and a need to talk. The ability to cope was, however, reported high.

Anticipatory grief among close relatives of patients in hospice and palliative wards.

A Swedish widowhood study revealed that four out of ten widows regarded the pre-loss period more stressful than the post-loss. The present investigation of close relatives to patients dying from cancer (using interviews and the Anticipatory Grief Scale) found that preparatory grief involves much emotional stress, as intense preoccupation with the dying, longing for his/her former personality, loneliness, tearfulness, cognitive dysfunction, irritability, anger and social withdrawal, and a need to talk. Psychological status was bad one by every fifth.

Factors related to alcohol and drug consumption in Swedish widows.

The use of alcohol and medications among Swedish widows was analyzed in relation to various background variables. In Total, 1053 widows (640 widows younger than 65 years and 413 widows older than 65 years) answered the questionnaire. Many reported increased fatigue and sleeping problems.

Does early bereavement counseling prevent ill health and untimely death?

Fifty elderly bereaved men and women, who received bereavement counseling by a physician and a psychologist at 3 separate occasions during the year after loss, were followed during another 10 years in regard to morbidity and mortality, as some earlier studies have indicated increased risk during widowhood. Days of hospital care and mortality rates during 5 and 8 years, respectively, were the primary outcome variables. A group of representative married subjects was used for comparison purposes.

Walking habits in elderly widows.

Walking habits were studied in 3 groups of elderly widows. The average walking time per week was calculated from interviews or questionnaires. There was in a small studied group a tendency for walking time to be lower at 3 and 12 months after loss than at 4 or 5 years.

Novelty seeking and harm avoidance in relation to alcohol drinking in intact rats and following axon-sparing lesions to the amygdala and ventral striatum.

Our previous research has pointed to a behavioural pattern in rats similar to the one seen in the prototypic Type 2 alcoholic, where male rats bearing basal forebrain excitotoxin axon-sparing lesions show an increased alcohol intake, lowered responsiveness to threat (harm avoidance) and an enhanced tendency to exploring novel surroundings (novelty seeking). The purpose of the present study was to: (1) examine whether excessive alcohol-consuming rats have a diminished response to potential danger and an enhanced tendency to explore novel surroundings; (2) investigate a possible relationship between the above-mentioned behavioural parameters and two of the emotional motor systems in the basal forebrain, i.e.