The Five Stages of Grief

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The Five Stages of Grief

• From Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

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Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

• Wrote On Death and Dying in 1969, which set up
  the Five Stages of Grief
• Written after seeing the treatment of dying
  patients in hospitals and working with Holocaust
  survivors.
• Looking for the humanistic perspective of death
  and dying.

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Denial

• Denial is a conscious or unconscious refusal to
  accept facts, information, reality, etc.,
  relating to the situation concerned. It's a
  defense mechanism and perfectly natural. Some
  people can become locked in this stage when
  dealing with a traumatic change that can be
  ignored. Death of course is not particularly easy
  to avoid or evade indefinitely.

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Anger

• Anger can manifest in different ways. People
  dealing with emotional upset can be angry with
  themselves, and/or with others, especially those
  close to them. Knowing this helps keep detached
  and non-judgmental when experiencing the anger of
  someone who is very upset.

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Bargaining

• Traditionally the bargaining stage for people
  facing death can involve attempting to bargain
  with whatever God the person believes in. People
  facing less serious trauma can bargain or seek to
  negotiate a compromise. For example "Can we still
  be friends?.." when facing a break-up. Bargaining
  rarely provides a sustainable solution,
  especially if it's a matter of life or death.

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Depression

• Also referred to as preparatory grieving. In a
  way it's the dress rehearsal or the practice run
  for the 'aftermath' although this stage means
  different things depending on whom it involves.
  It's a sort of acceptance with emotional
  attachment. It's natural to feel sadness and
  regret, fear, uncertainty, etc. It shows that the
  person has at least begun to accept the reality.

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Acceptance

• Again this stage definitely varies according to
  the person's situation, although broadly it is an
  indication that there is some emotional
  detachment and objectivity. People dying can
  enter this stage a long time before the people
  they leave behind, who must necessarily pass
  through their own individual stages of dealing
  with the grief.

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Alzheimers

• The Long Goodbye

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What causes it? Three ideas

• Family historyFor a few families, there is a
  definite connection between family history and
  Alzheimer's disease. While for others, a family
  history of Alzheimer's disease puts them at
  greater risk than someone with no family history.
  Though knowledge in this area is growing, the
  connection to heredity is not fully understood.
• The external environmentThe cause of Alzheimer's
  disease may be in our environment -- perhaps
  something in the water, soil or air.
• The internal environmentAlzheimer's disease may
  be caused by something within the body. It could
  be a slow virus, an imbalance of chemicals or a
  problem with the immune system.

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• Researchers have discovered that Alzheimer's
  disease
• is not a part of normal aging
• affects both men and women
• is more common in people as they age -- most
  people with the disease are over 65
• is not caused by hardening of the arteries
• is not caused by stress

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Aluminum?

• Aluminum has been studied for over 40 years as a
  substance that might be linked to Alzheimer's
  disease. However, there have been many
  conflicting findings.
• Some studies show increased levels of aluminum in
  the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease
  while others do not.
• Research has not found an increased incidence of
  Alzheimer's disease in people with occupational
  exposure to aluminum.
• Tea is one of the few plants whose leaves
  accumulate large amounts of aluminum that can
  seep into the brewed beverage. However, there is
  no evidence that Alzheimer's disease is more
  prevalent in cultures that typically drink large
  amounts of tea.

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Preventionor at least slowing it down

• The latest medical research suggests that the
  best hope for preventing or slowing down
  Alzheimer's is to adopt a lifestyle that includes
  the following
• Avoiding jarring your brain
• Staying engaged in social activities with
  friends, family and others
• Exercising your mind to keep your brain in tone
• Eating a healthy diet and get regular exercise

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Other forms of dementia

• Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of
  the central nervous system that affects more than
  1.5 million people in the United States. The main
  features of Parkinsons disease are slowness of
  movements, compromise of balance, muscle
  rigidity, and tremor. The disease is thought to
  be caused by low levels of a chemical called
  dopamine, which activates cells in our brains
  that let us move.

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• Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive,
  inherited, degenerative brain disorder that
  produces physical, mental and emotional changes.
  AKA Huntingtons Chorea (Greek dance). The name
  refers to the involuntary, jerky movements that
  can develop in later stages of the illness.

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• Physical symptoms
• Development of tics (involuntary movement) in the
  fingers, feet, face, or trunk
• Increased clumsiness
• Loss of coordination and balance
• Slurred speech
• Jaw clenching or teeth grinding
• Difficulty swallowing or eating
• Continual muscular contractions
• Stumbling or falling

• Mental symptoms
• Decreased concentration
• Forgetfulness and memory decline
• Poor judgment
• Difficulty making decisions or answering
  questions
• Difficulty driving