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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Resilience may ease the burden of dying. A large study found that older adults with higher psychological resilience had significantly fewer symptoms — like depression, pain, and fatigue — in their final years of life. Researchers say resilience could be a measurable, modifiable target for improving end-of-life care.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that psychological resilience — the ability to draw on inner strengths and social support during tough times — may meaningfully shape how people experience the end of life. Researchers analyzed data from over 4,400 adults aged 50+ who participated in the Health and Retirement Study, measuring resilience roughly two years before death and tracking symptom burden reported by next of kin afterward.
The findings were striking: adults with the highest resilience were far less likely to suffer from a heavy symptom load compared to those with the lowest resilience. Neuropsychiatric symptoms, particularly depression, showed the strongest connection to resilience levels.
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Why it matters: End-of-life care is a growing priority as populations age. If resilience is truly modifiable — through therapy, social support programs, or targeted interventions — clinicians may have a new lever to improve quality of dying for millions of patients.
