Communication and Silence Surrounding the Experience of Bereavement of Older Adults Living in Seniors’ Residences

Valérie Bourgeois-Guérin,Jeanne Lachance,Valérie Millette

doi:10.1177/0022167821995352

Valérie Bourgeois-Guérin, Jeanne Lachance + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167821995352

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Abstract

As they age, many seniors leave their homes to live in a seniors’ residence. Since those residences are both living environments and places where death happens from time to time, seniors who live there will be confronted to the loss of other residents. How is grief experienced by seniors in this setting? Research on this topic has been close to nonexistent. As part of a qualitative research project, we met 26 individuals older than the age of 65 years who had experienced the loss of another resident. Following our interviews, we conducted a thematic analysis of the data. Our results show that communication practices surrounding end of live and death vary from one seniors’ residence to the next. We highlight the strengths and limitations of these practices as well as their impacts on bereaved seniors. We discuss the ways in which our participants felt their grief was considered by others, look at the meanings of silence and communication and reflect on potential intervention strategies.

Highlights

IntroductionOne of the changes seniors experience as they age is the transition to a new living environment
Transitions mark aging trajectories in more or less drastic ways
What is known about the lived experiences of seniors who face this reality? A literature review shows that, despite the frequency of these losses, very few research projects have looked at the lived experiences of these seniors

Summary

Introduction

One of the changes seniors experience as they age is the transition to a new living environment. Many seniors leave their homes to move into what is commonly referred to as a seniors’ residence.. Many efforts are made in these dwellings to help residents develop a sense of belonging and trust These are living environments where many positive experiences occur, they are places where death happens among the residents. For many seniors, this residence will be their last home, the last address of their trajectory (Alftberg et al, 2018; Komaromy, 2000). A better understanding of this experience is key to supporting seniors in residence

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