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Isolation: the emerging crisis for older men: a report exploring experiences of social isolation and loneliness among older men in England
- Authors:
- BEACH Brian, BAMFORD Sally-Marie
- Publisher:
- Independent Age
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 56
- Place of publication:
- London
Explores the experiences of older men who are socially isolated or lonely. The research has used newly released data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), as well as interviews, focus groups and existing evidence. The report looks at the differences between the way older men and older women report feeling lonely and isolated and how partners, families, health, financial circumstances and major life transitions, such as retirement and bereavement, influence their experiences. It shows that over 1.2 million older men reported a moderate to high degree of social isolation and over 700,000 a high degree of loneliness. Older men are more isolated than older women, and at increasing risk of loneliness. This is because older men are more dependent on their partners and less likely to engage with projects to tackle isolation and loneliness and to seek help. The report suggests that while loneliness is not an inevitable consequence of age it is driven by poor health and low income. It also considers what kind of service provision could help address social isolation among men and encourage their participation and recommends: monitoring service use by gender to address gaps in service access; targeting services at older men and their specific needs, including reaching out to men who have suffered bereavement; pre-retirement packs for older people with a focus on retention and development of social networks; planning by the health and wellbeing boards for the expected growth of isolated and lonely older men, recognising that traditional befriending approaches may not work for this group. (Edited publisher abstract)
Change in living arrangements following death of a partner in England and Wales, 1971 to 2001
- Authors:
- HIRST Michael, CORDEN Anne
- Journal article citation:
- Population Trends, 141, Autumn 2010, pp.127-147.
- Publisher:
- Office for National Statistics
Using widow(er) statistics and four successive sets of census data (1971-2001) on married couples from the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study, this study examines changes in couples’ living arrangements and households and shows how these differ by age and gender on the death of a spouse or partner. The findings are discussed in the following sections: age on death of spouse (independently, with extended family, or in communal/residential care); residential mobility before and after death of spouse; numbers of couples separated by death. Residential independence and mobility in older age and the policy directions chosen in the future for long-term care provision for older people are also briefly discussed.
Gender difference in bereavement support for older widowed people
- Author:
- BENNETT Kate Mary
- Journal article citation:
- Bereavement Care, 28(3), December 2009, pp.5-9.
- Publisher:
- Cruse Bereavement Care
Emotional and practical support at and around the time of a spouse’s death is seen as important in helping older bereaved people come to terms with their loss. This article examines gender differences in the support offered to older widowed people. A total of 45 widows and 45 widowers were interviewed about their marriages, their lives immediately following the death of their partners, and their lives now. Contrary to findings in previous research, but in line with the beliefs of the women interviewees, the men received more formal support than the women. The article ends with a discussion of possible explanations, and some recommendations for further research.
Widowhood and mortality among the elderly: the modifying role of neighborhood concentration of widowed individuals
- Authors:
- SUBRAMANIAN S. V., ELWERT Felix, CHRISTAKIS Nicholas
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 66(4), February 2008, pp.873-884.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The effect of death of a spouse on the mortality of the survivor (the “widowhood effect”) is well-established. The authors investigated how the effect of widowhood on mortality depends on the neighbourhood concentration of widowed individuals in the United States. They developed a large, nationally representative, and longitudinal dataset from Medicare claims and other data sources characterizing 200,000 elderly couples, with nine years of follow-up (1993–2002), and estimated multilevel grouped discrete-time hazard models. In neighbourhoods with a low concentration of widowed individuals, widowhood increased the odds of death for men by 22% and for women by 17%, compared to 17% for men, and 15% for women in neighbourhoods with a high concentration of widowed individuals. Findings suggest that neighbourhood structural contexts – that provide opportunities for interacting with others and favouring new social engagements – could be potential modifiers of the widowhood effects and as such requires more systematic consideration in future research of widowhood effects on well-being and mortality.
Adjustment to the single life of elderly persons
- Author:
- POREDOS Dasa
- Journal article citation:
- Ljetopis Studijskog Centra Socijalnog Rada, 8(1), 2001, pp.7-34.
- Publisher:
- University of Zagreb
- Place of publication:
- Zagreb
This study divided subjects into two groups: one consisted of people who had lost their spouse within six months before the research; the other who had lost their spouse three years ago. It was found that the length of loss does not have an effect on the level of adaption because in both groups the process of grieving is still ongoing. [Article in Croatian].
Marital attachment and adjustment in older couples coping with cancer
- Authors:
- SHIELDS C.G., TRAVIS L.A., ROUSSEAU S.L.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 4(3), August 2000, pp.223-233.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The authors examine the role of marital attachment in how older couples adjust to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Results found that secure attachment in wives was associated with higher marital satisfaction for husbands and wives and greater perceived health for wives with no significant interaction effect. The association of husbands' attachment style was moderated by the presence of cancer. The secure attachment of husbands in cancer couples was associated with poorer adjustment of wives: higher depressive symptoms and lower perceived health for wives. Discusses the theoretical and clinical implication of the findings.
Family relationships in later life
- Editor:
- BRUBAKER Timothy
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Publication year:
- 1990
- Pagination:
- 320p.,tables,bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Newbury Park, CA
Part I focuses on specific family relationships (ie husband-wife, parent-child etc.) Part II addresses issues such as sexuality, sex roles, widowhood, abuse, and minority families. Part III considers older people's family relationships and the implications for the development of policy and practice.
Older widows and the life course: multiple narratives of hidden lives
- Author:
- CHAMBERS Pat
- Publisher:
- Ashgate
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 287p.,bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Aldershot
Later-life widowhood is the expectation of most older wives, since statistically women live longer than men and tend to marry men older than themselves. Despite this there has been little coverage of the complexities of later-life widowhood. This research reveals a multi-faceted experience of later-life widowhood. Older widows’ life stories challenge the dominant public narrative of misery and decline, pointing instead to a complexity of experience which is rooted in personal biography and the female life course rather than in later-life widowhood itself. The author develops the concept of ‘multiple narratives’ as a way of uncovering the complex, but often hidden lives of older widows. Without such an understanding, she argues, it is all too easy to subscribe to the powerfully dominant public narrative and thus to misinterpret older widows’ current needs and aspirations.
Risk and resources for depression in later life
- Author:
- GODFREY Mary
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Public Mental Health, 4(2), June 2005, pp.32-42.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article is based on a literature review carried out for Help the Aged on depression in later life, and addresses one aspect of the review: the evidence on risk and resources for later life depression. It looks at the interplay between physical ill health, disability, loss of intimate and social relationships, loneliness and depression, and the resources and protective factors at individual, social and community level that either buffer risk or promote psychological well-being. It concludes that effective strategies for the prevention, treatment and management of depression must work across multiple areas and address social, environmental and economic as well as medio-biological factors if interventions are to prove effective.
Older widow(er)s: bereavement and gender effects on lifestyle and participation
- Author:
- ESRC GROWING OLDER PROGRAMME
- Publisher:
- University of Sheffield. Department of Sociological Studies
- Publication year:
- 2002
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- Sheffield
This project examined the lifestyles of women and men widowed in late life, highlighting gender, social participation, wellbeing and emotional response, with a view to promoting more effective adjustment to bereavement and widowhood.