THE FEAR FOR DEATH IN ELDERLY

«Ένα παιδιά μου ο θάνατος και η γέννα ένα ο πόνος της καρδιάς και η γλύκα ένα το φεύγω αλάργα κι έρχομαι ένα το έχε γεια και το καλώς σε βρήκα.»

Ν. Καζαντζάκης

“One my children death and birth; one pain of heart and sweetness; I leave one far away and I come Farewell and Welcome found you. "

(Greek poem of Nikos Kazatzakis)

What is death?

In the past we believed that material life is only one piece of the circle of life in which we are immersed sequentially.

Nowadays , scientific research is very close to proving the existence of the soul and the theory of reincarnation.(after life)

Why we are afraid of death?The word "death" is a taboo word in our time.

We feel fear because maybe subconsciously is a kind of relationship that death brings us closer to the thought of our own death.

Fear of the unknown, after life, fear of separation of losing our loved people.

So death is hidden in our unconscious and we avoid discussions about this, because the important thing is to "live in the here and now" or “we do not know what happens after death, since no one returned to tell us" .

Whoever afraids to live, afraids also to die. Besides, old age never come unannounced. White hair, wrinkles, reduced strength and endurance warn us of our 50 years. Is it allright then to think and prepare for this evolution in our lives.

The fear of death overpowers all ages.

Children (fear of dying parent) Adults (fear of dying suddenly) elderly

unfortunately,we face cases of elderly people who are trying to stay awake at night for fear dying suddenly in their sleep. The threat of death paralyzes every thought and activity. Fear, of course, something that is most sure to happen to us.

Deaths in old age are caused to heart attacks, strokes, cancer and physical degeneration.

Many studies and theoretical considerations support the existence of stages.According to Kubler-Ross, the mental process experienced by the person who expects death, is characterized by five stages.

stage of denying stage of ager stage of negotiation stage of depression stage of acceptance

Research done by students of the University of the Netherlands, in a small sample of men and women, the examination revealed that there is a very anxiety of death among the elderly, especially among those living in institutions.The results showed that, among older participants in our assisted living facility (N = 49; Age range: 60-96 years), there were higher levels of fear for others and the process of death, fear of the unknown .

Results showed that women afraid for losing their loving people more than men.

The role of health professionals caring for the dying person is primarily supportive.The most important thing that health staff can offer is to ensure the necessary climate dignity and quality of living conditions.

"The acceptance of the reality that the patient dies requires self-awareness and personal emotion processing and perception of the healthcare professional about the death and the targets set in the context of care provided in the final stage of life of the patient."

Thank you for attention