Communication Practices and Advice in Later-Life Widowhood: 'We Just Talked about What It Is like to Not Have Your Buddy'

摘要

The present study addressed the question of how interactions with social networks influence the experience of widowhood for later-life widowed individuals, and what aspects of these experiences the participants wish others could know. I interviewed 23 widowed individuals. Four themes emerged revolving around the need to prepare for death through communication, the importance of supportive interactions, the value of remembering and sharing the good times, and the significance of finding a balance with grief and maintaining an active life.