Widowhood Support: Strategies for Emotional Health

According to Census data, 58% of women and 28% of men aged 75 or older have lost a spouse in their lifetimes. Here at Ramsey Woods in Cudahy, we have many widowed residents, and our staff has learned quite a bit about senior grief strategies.

Emotional health for widowed seniors requires community support, benefiting from factors such as:

Positive social relationships
Practical support
Finding purpose through connections and interests

Ready to discover the pillars of widowhood emotional support? Read on as we share both observed and research-backed tips for rebuilding and maintaining emotional health after losing a spouse.

Supporting Widows in the Immediate Aftermath

If you are the friend or adult child of a recent widow, what can you do to provide immediate support? Here are our top tips for getting through the first few weeks of loss with a new widow.

Coordinate With Loved Ones

Don't attempt to fulfill the needs of a recent widow on your own. Instead, create a network of support with the help of friends and family members. Coordinate schedules to ensure that someone is always available as needed.

When looking for mental health or spiritual guidance for your loved one, consider their personal preferences and beliefs. For example, only enlist the help of a religious leader if a religious approach to grief would be meaningful to your loved one.

Address Practical Concerns

The shock of grief and the loss of a life partner who took care of specific tasks can create significant practical concerns. A support network may need to address issues related to:

Finances (e.g., filing taxes or gaining access to bank accounts)
Household chores
Meals
Managing the deceased's belongings

When offering assistance, make sure you aren't impinging on your loved one's agency or pushing them to tackle challenges (such as donating their spouse's clothing) too soon.

Prepare for Long-Term Needs

Can your loved one continue to live where they are without their spouse? Will they require long-term care to ensure their health and well-being?

Preparing for long-term needs is especially urgent if your loved one has an existing health condition that makes self-care difficult. For example, our assisted living community is designed to accommodate residents with memory loss who require support in completing activities of daily living.

Seeking Emotional Health After Losing a Spouse

Grief does not have a set timeline, nor is it likely to dissipate in a few weeks. Here are some of the strategies we advise for seeking emotional health after losing a spouse.

Create Space for Complex Emotions

You may be familiar with the five stages of grief, which include:

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

Widows are likely to experience all of these emotional responses, but it won't necessarily be linear. It's important to allow complex emotions to come to the surface. Trying to suppress them won't speed up the grieving process and may lead to unhealthy levels of numbness or detachment.

Seek Professional Help

For many people, the experience of losing a spouse is not only traumatic but unlike anything they've experienced before. It can be very useful to seek professional help in the months after the loss occurs.

FindHelp.org makes it easy to find bereavement counseling services, including grief groups and individual therapy, here in Cudahy. Talking to a mental health professional or other widows can provide clarity and make it easier to process those complex emotions mentioned above.

Establish a Routine

Grief can be paralyzing, leaving widowed individuals unable to decide what they want to or should do with their time. Creating a routine can not only dispel that paralysis but also encourage healthy choices.

For example, commit to waking up at the same time every day and beginning your morning with a nice breakfast. Schedule daily activities like walking or phoning a friend. Stick to the routine even on the days when you'd rather not.

Maintain Physical Health

UCLA Health notes that grief can have a significant impact on physical health, from increasing pain to reducing immune strength. Build healthful activities into your routine and seek to:

Get light physical activity each day
Eat a balanced diet
Hydrate
Stretch and practice balance
Improve sleep hygiene

The support of an assisted living team can make it much easier for seniors with disabilities to accomplish these goals. Residents will enjoy chef-prepared meals, exercise classes, and more.

Rebuilding a Life After Spouse Loss

Living as a widow is about more than just coping after the loss. You deserve to continue with your life and discover joy wherever you can find it. Here are two important pillars for creating purpose in your life as a widowed senior.

Build Memories With Friends and Loved Ones

Research published in Frontiers in Public Health shows that social connections can improve the mental health outcomes of widows. While grief can be an isolating experience, make an effort to:

Accept visitors
Make family plans for holidays
Engage in activities with friends and neighbors

At Ramsey Woods, our activity calendar ensures that residents can partake in fun and meaningful daily activities, fostering a sense of community with their neighbors.

Explore Hobbies and Interests

Exploring a new hobby can not only add some novelty to your routine but it can also lead to surprising new outlets for your emotions. Consider exploring activities such as:

Painting or crafting
Writing poetry or journaling
Gardening or learning about native plants
Learning an instrument or listening to music

Finding and engaging in a hobby that you love can increase feelings of fulfillment and joy while grounding you in the present moment.

Find Community at Ramsey Woods

At Ramsey Woods in Cudahy, WI, we provide a senior living community for many widows. We implement these strategies every day to create emotional health for our residents who have lost a spouse.

Ramsey Woods is an assisted living community with a primary focus on memory care. Our team is specially trained to address the unique needs of residents with moderate to severe memory loss, taking a holistic approach to everything from meal planning to daily assistance. Contact us today to discover if we're the right fit for your family.