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Typical Responses During Grief

Courtesy of Hospice Care of Nebraska

Physical Sensations:

  • Tightness in chest
  • Over-sensitivity to noise
  • Dryness of mouth
  • Breathlessness
  • Weakness of muscles
  • Lack of energy

Behaviors:

  • Absent-mindedness
  • Social withdrawal
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Restlessness/over-activity
  • Appetite disturbances
  • Crying, sighing
  • Visiting places that are reminders of the deceased
  • Calling out for the deceased


Thoughts:

  • Disbelief
  • Confusion
  • Preoccupation with thoughts and memories
  • Sense of his/her presence


Feelings:

  • Sadness
  • Anger
  • Guilt or self-reproach
  • Anxiety
  • Loneliness
  • Numbness
  • Fatigue
  • Helplessness
  • Shock
  • Yearning
  • Relief

Compiled by the Lincoln/Greater Nebraska Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, 1999.
‹ Progressive Changes in the Terminal Phase/Hospice Plan of Care - ChartsupSection 10 ›
Posted August 3rd, 2007

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