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Bereavement in Older Adults

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Primary Care Mental Health in Older People

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Abstract

In this chapter, bereavement is defined as the response to the loss of a loved one, and the normal and pathological manifestations of that response are explained, as well as its expected progression, making reference to the mourning model as a process, proposed by Worden. The peculiarities of bereavement in old age are addressed, as well as the risk factors for the development of a complicated grief and the differential characteristics between a normal grief response and an episode of major depression or a psychotic disorder. Intervention guidelines are offered for the management of grief in the context of primary care and criteria that indicate the convenience of referral to specialised care and/or non-governmental resources, emphasising the importance of promoting instrumental and emotional support from the family and social environment of the mourners. The chapter also includes two clinical cases that illustrate the practical intervention with elderly people in grief.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Servicio de Salud Mental, Hospital Virxe da Xunqueira. Cee, A Coruña, Spain

    Mercedes Fernández Cabana

  2. Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Alejandro García-Caballero & Raimundo Mateos

  3. Department of Psychiatry, EOXI Ourense, Ourense, Spain

    Alejandro García-Caballero

  4. South Galician Health Research Institute (IISGS), Ourense, Spain

    Alejandro García-Caballero

  5. Psychogeriatric Unit, CHUS University Hospital, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Raimundo Mateos

Authors
  1. Mercedes Fernández Cabana
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  2. Alejandro García-Caballero
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  3. Raimundo Mateos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Raimundo Mateos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Psychiatrie et de Psychothérapie, Centre Les Toises, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Carlos Augusto de Mendonça Lima

  2. Mental Health and Population Health, NOVA University Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Gabriel Ivbijaro

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Fernández Cabana, M., García-Caballero, A., Mateos, R. (2019). Bereavement in Older Adults. In: de Mendonça Lima, C., Ivbijaro, G. (eds) Primary Care Mental Health in Older People. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10814-4_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10814-4_14

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-10812-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-10814-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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