Context: Increasing numbers of people will die from chronic disease. Families contribute significantly to end-of-life care, but their role may not be recognized.
Objectives: To 1) establish the proportion of older cohabitees identified in primary care as "carers"; 2) describe demographic and lifestyle characteristics of cohabitees of people terminally ill with cancer, dementia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); 3) describe their health a year before and after bereavement; and 4) compare health outcomes between cohabitees of people dying with cancer, COPD, or dementia.
Methods: Retrospective cohort study using a U.K. primary care database (The Health Improvement Network) of 13,693 bereaved cohabitees (a proxy marker for being a carer), aged 60 years or older of people dying from cancer, COPD, or dementia. Characteristics were described one year before and after bereavement. We compared cancer, COPD, and dementia cohabitee outcomes using incidence rate ratios one year before and after bereavement and calculated mortality risk after bereavement.
Results: A total of 6.9% of cohabitees were recorded as carers. Health outcomes differed little between the three groups of cohabitees in the year before or after bereavement. The proportion of cohabitees with six or more consultations increased the year after bereavement (cancer cohabitees 16.0% to 18.8%, COPD cohabitees 17.8% to 20.4%, and dementia cohabitees 15.5% to 17.5%). At postbereavement (follow-up median 3 years, interquartile range 1.3-5.4), we found no mortality differences between the three groups.
Conclusion: Recording of carers of terminally ill people was suboptimal. Cause of bereavement produced few differential effects on health outcomes or mortality.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.12.319 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
January 2025
Department of Care Ethics, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Background: People with the chronic disease Multiple Sclerosis are subjected to different degrees of profound uncertainty. Uncertainty has been linked to adverse psychological effects such as feelings of heightened vulnerability, avoidance of decision-making, fear, worry, anxiety disorders, and even depression. Research into Multiple Sclerosis has a predominant focus on the scientific, practical, and psychosocial issues of uncertainty.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
January 2025
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, P.O. Box 117, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden.
Older adults with intellectual disabilities are not adequately prepared for ageing and show anxiety and uncertainty regarding the future. Therefore, the two-year educational intervention "Good Life in Old Age" was implemented to improve their understanding of ageing and enhance their well-being. This study aimed to explore the meaning of ageing during and after the intervention from the perspective of older adults with mild intellectual disability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe a 23-year-old woman with erotomania as a symptom of complicated grief. The delusional disorder emerged after a breakup with her partner, during a period of complicated grief following the unexpected loss of her twin brother. The delusion potentially functioned as a protection against a recurrent depressive disorder.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Psychiatry
January 2025
Sociedad Española de Medicina Psicodélica (SEMPsi), Barcelona, Spain.
Background: Psychotherapy for Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD), a condition characterized by an intense and persistent grief response, has received increased attention over the past decades. Evidence-based approaches to prevent PGD are currently scarce, and not always effective. This paper introduces a protocol for a clinical trial exploring the effectiveness of a Meaning Reconstruction psychotherapy approach (MR) assisted with ayahuasca, a traditional indigenous medicine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Support Palliat Care
December 2024
National Children's Bureau, London, UK.
Background: Efforts to minimise inequity in palliative and end-of-life care (PEoLC) are well-researched. This is frequently explained by differences related to singular factors. The concept of intersectionality recognises that the combination of variables exacerbates disparities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!