534 - Grief in de elderly and its impact

Abstract

Introduction

With coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a lot of people have succumbed and older adults were disproportionately affected. (1,2) Also, grief is encountered frequently in clinical practice with the elderly, and can be defined as the natural response to the death of a loved one. Still, when a failure of adaptation occurs then a Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) can be diagnosed, which has been recently included in ICD-11. The principal feature of PGD is a persistent preoccupation or an intense longing for the deceased that lasts longer than 6 months after the death. (3)

Objective:

Comprehend the grief in the elderly and its implications in their health.

Methods:

The author conducted a literature review by searching the Pubmed database using the keywords elderly; grief; complicated grief; covid-19

Results:

PGD is relatively prevalent among the elderly and has been associated with some variables related to the death time of the deceased, being the prevalence inversely correlated with the deceased’s. (4, 5) Additionally, older adults present a higher risk of developing PGD when they are less

educated, male, have poorer cognitive performance, and a history of depression. (3) PGD is characterized by sadness, fascination with or excessive avoidance of the memories associated with the deceased, the memory of the loss and mental ruminations about death. According to some investigations, PGD reduces life expectancy, increasing the odds of death, causes severe behavioural symptoms, and is associated with longer-term functional impairment. (4,5)

Conclusion:

Given these results, it is easy to understand the need for a closer monitoring of these patients during this global crisis. Moreover, it is also important to find new ways to do that while complying with COVID-19 rules and restrictions. A short-term evidence-based intervention for PGD effective in the elderly is based on support focused upon these seven themes: understanding their grief, managing emotional pain, thinkingabout the future, strengthening their relationships, telling the story of the dead, learning to live with reminders of the deceased, and connecting with memories. (3)