Study: Use Of Hospice Services May Have Little Effect On Depressive Symptoms Of Surviving Spouses

Noting that Medicare covers grief and loss counseling for family caregivers for up to a year following a beneficiary’s death, the Kaiser Health News (5/30, Andrews) reported that a new study “found that hospice services had only a modest impact on symptoms of depression in surviving spouses.” The study, published online in JAMA Internal Medicine last week, “examined symptoms of depression among 1,016 surviving spouses who were interviewed as part of the Health and Retirement Study, an ongoing survey of a representative sample of adults older than age 50.” More than half of spouses experienced a worsening of their depressive symptoms “following their loved one’s death, regardless of whether they used hospice, the study found.”

Related Links:

— “Medicare Pays For Spouses To Get Grief Counseling Through Hospice,” Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News, May 29, 2015.

Posted in In The News.