Q. I just can’t seem to get over losing my husband of 52 years two months ago. At this age, I don’t know how to pick up the pieces and go on. My children are trying to help me, but I am just lost without the love of my life.
The stages of grief are a typical reaction to the loss of a loved one, which you have recently suffered. Please talk to your physician about the services that he or she would recommend for you. Also, contact Frederick Memorial Hospital, the Frederick County Department of Aging and your church or synagogue about the community grief services that may be available.
Unresolved grief could have a devastating effect on your health. For generations it has been said that people who collapsed and died soon after a severe personal loss just died of a “broken heart.” The cause was probably stress cardiomyopathy, which is now often referred to as “broken heart syndrome.” New research, however, indicates this acute heart failure triggered by stressful events is more common than first thought.
Stress cardiomyopathy (SC) has been known to primarily affect postmenopausal women and is characterized by acute, profound, but reversible left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in the absence of significant coronary artery disease, according to the study published in a recent issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
The condition can be difficult to diagnosis, according to the report from researchers at the University of Leipzig, Germany. However, it appears that patients with SC were an average age of 69 years old and 89 percent (227) were women.
Please think about your family and how they would feel if something happened to you as well. If you are overwhelmed at the thought of being home alone or trying to take care of your house, consider contacting us at Home Instead Senior Care® to discuss how we might be able to help. CAREGivers SM, who are screened, trained, bonded and insured, are well-equipped to assist older adults who find themselves in need of companionship.
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Frederick County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627. For more about the study, go to http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/306/3/277.abstract.
No comments:
Post a Comment