Bereavement and Loss: Understanding Grief in Older People

Everyone experiences grief from time to time, but older people are more likely to experience grief simply because they live longer. Grief, bereavement, and mourning are different elements associated with death of a loved one. For most people, grief follows a fairly predictable trajectory, and over time resolves. One of the most used descriptions of grief was developed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and it is reviewed herein. However, for some people, grief becomes unbearable and chronic leading to prolonged grief disorder. For clinicians, it's essential to differentiate between prolonged grief disorder and major depressive disorder. Older people who experience unbearable grief often need medication to deal with some of its symptoms, which include depression, anxiety, hypertension, and lack of sleep. Older people also need considerable support as they deal with grief so that they do not become isolated, experience comorbidities, or spiral into physical and mental decline. Little specific research has examined pharmacists' opportunities to help older people who have prolonged grief, but some data suggest that these patients are more likely to visit the pharmacy and need medication more than others.