Lidiya Fedoseyeva-Shukshina, the 88-year-old People's Artist of Russia, has been admitted to intensive care with heart failure, according to StarHit. The actress was taken to hospital by ambulance after her breathing deteriorated sharply at home and she lost the ability to walk unaided, the outlet reports.
StarHit, citing a source, says her family called the 112 emergency number once she began gasping for air. She arrived at the hospital in moderate condition and remains under doctors' supervision.
Why it matters
Fedoseyeva-Shukshina is one of the best-known figures in Soviet and Russian cinema, and her health has been a subject of public attention for several years. Her hospitalization also draws attention back to a long-running family rift that she has spoken about openly, and to the question of who cares for her day to day.
According to StarHit, the actress had been struggling for about a week before the emergency call, with shortness of breath and swelling that grew steadily worse. The report states that she was diagnosed with heart failure on arrival.
A history of health problems
This is not the first medical emergency for the actress in recent months. StarHit reports that roughly a month ago she sought medical help after falling and hitting her head. The outlet also notes that she has significant underlying heart problems.
Fedoseyeva-Shukshina has not concealed that she lives with dementia. In comments reported by StarHit, she said she had drawn up a will and described how she had arranged her affairs.
She said she had closed a deposit worth 900,000 rubles and handed the money to her daughter Maria to cover her funeral costs. She added that if a combined one million rubles remains in her accounts at the time of her death, she has bequeathed it to her other daughter, Olga.
The actress acknowledged reading from a piece of paper during that conversation so as not to forget anything, saying her memory was still intact but that she preferred to be certain of what she was saying.
Care falls to one daughter
StarHit reports that Olga Shukshina is the one looking after her mother. The outlet says Lidiya Fedoseyeva-Shukshina is not in contact with Maria.
Olga has publicly urged her sister to take an interest in their ailing mother and to help, according to StarHit. Speaking a couple of years ago, she said she was carrying the burden alone and described the responsibility as a heavy cross. She also mentioned plans to take her mother to a sanatorium in the Moscow region.
The actress has said her one wish is for her children to live in peace and stop quarreling, but StarHit describes the atmosphere within the family as remaining tense. Fedoseyeva-Shukshina has said she cannot recall how the falling-out between her daughters began, recalling that they had once been devoted to each other and that watching them had been a joy.
She has also said Maria does not answer the phone or want to talk, and that she finds the situation difficult to bear. Reflecting on her life, she described it as hard but beautiful, saying she had been surrounded by wonderful people she loves, yet she has been unable to bring her daughters back together.
There is no word yet from the hospital on her current condition beyond StarHit's account that she is under observation. Further updates on her treatment are expected in the coming days.
