Older women’s experiences of companion animal death: impacts on well-being and aging-in-place
| Autor: | Eloise C.J. Carr, Leah Underwood, Donna M Wilson, Maxi Miciak, Cary A. Brown, Jean E. Wallace, Douglas P. Gross, Morgan Kane |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Gerontology
Aging Aging in place media_common.quotation_subject Well-being Context (language use) Computer-assisted web interviewing Anger Alberta Social support Animals Humans Medicine Women Older adult Aged media_common business.industry Research RC952-954.6 Social Support Pets humanities Companion animal Death Geriatrics Female Grief Geriatrics and Gerontology Thematic analysis business |
| Zdroj: | BMC Geriatrics BMC Geriatrics, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2021) |
| ISSN: | 1471-2318 |
| Popis: | Background Companion animal death is a common source of grief, although the extent and context of that grief is poorly understood, especially in older adulthood. The aim of this multiple-methods study was to develop a greater understanding of the impact of companion animal death on older women living alone in the community, as older women are a distinct at-risk group, and the supports that should be available to help these individuals with their grief. Methods Participants were recruited from across Alberta, a Canadian province, through seniors’ organizations, pet rescue groups, and social media groups of interest to older women. After completing a pre-interview online questionnaire to gain demographic information and standardized pet attachment and grief measures data, participants were interviewed through the Zoom ® computer program or over the telephone. An interpretive description methodology framed the interviews, with Braun and Clarke’s 6-phase analytic method used for thematic analysis of interview data. Results In 2020, twelve participants completed the pre-interview questionnaires and nine went on to provide interview data for analysis. All were older adult (age 55+) women, living alone in the community, who had experienced the death of a companion animal in 2019. On the standardized measures, participants scored highly on attachment and loss, but low on guilt and anger. The interview data revealed three themes: catastrophic grief and multiple major losses over the death of their companion animal, immediate steps taken for recovery, and longer-term grief and loss recovery. Conclusions The findings highlight the importance of acknowledging and addressing companion animal grief to ensure the ongoing well-being and thus the sustained successful aging-in-place of older adult women in the community. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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