The death of a loved one is a powerful and emotional experience. It can shatter life as we used to know it. Grief is a normal reaction to loss, and an essential part of dealing with loss, especially loss in death. Grief is universal: every person will experience it at some time, and also unique-every person will experience grief in his or her own way. Three elements that seem to assist in recovering from the devastating effects of the death of a loved one are: • gathering relevant information • talking to others about your loss • listening to others who have had similar experiences
If you have experienced the death of someone close to you, you are invited to join an upcoming grief support group. Caring Connection's bereavement support groups are led by health care professionals in the fields of social work, psychology, psychiatric nursing, counseling and pastoral care.
Location : VA Medical Center, Bldg 47, 500 Foothill Blvd., SLC Utah 84148 Contact : Call 801-585-9522
Thursday evenings March 11-April 29th, 5 - 6:30 p.m.
With the weather beginning to heat up and summer right around the corner, take these safety precautions for heat-related illnesses. (The below information is from the CDC)
Getting too hot can make you sick. You can become ill from the heat if your body can't compensate for it and properly cool you off. Heat exposure can even kill you: it caused 8,015 deaths in the United States from 1979 to 2003.
These are the main things affecting your body's ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather:
High humidity. When the humidity is high, sweat won't evaporate as quickly, which keeps your body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to.
Personal factors. Age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use can play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.
Here are some facts about which people are at greatest risk for heat-related illness and what protective actions to take to prevent illness or death:
People who are at highest risk are the elderly, the very young, and people with mental illness and chronic diseases
But even young and healthy people can get sick from the heat if they participate in strenuous physical activities during hot weather.
Air-conditioning is the number one protective factor against heat-related illness and death. If a home is not air-conditioned, people can reduce their risk for heat-related illness by spending time in public facilities that are air-conditioned.
You can take these steps to prevent heat-related illnesses, injuries, and deaths during hot weather:
