Try: Late life is commonly a period of transitions including retirement relocation and adjustment to losses support groups may help a senior get through these difficult transitions retirement retirement is often the first major transition faced by a senior its effects on physical and mental health differ from person to person depending on attitude toward and reason for retiring adjustments to retirement include reduced income and altered social role and entitlements some people choose to retire and look forward to quitting unpleasant work; others are forced to retire because of health problems or job loss preparing in advance and taking advantage of support groups may help relocation relocation may occur several times during later life to smaller quarters after selling the family home to retirement housing to reduce the burden of upkeep or to a nursing home a senior’s physical and mental health status are significant predictors of relocation adjustment so too is thoughtful and adequate preparation seniors who respond poorly to relocation are more likely to be living alone socially isolated poor and depressed men respond less well than women stress can occur if the senior thinks he has little or no control over the move and he feels they are moving to a completely new environment to reduce the stress of moving it is helpful for a senior to become acquainted with the new setting well in advance a move to a new environment can be very difficult for a senior who has a cognitive disorder they may become more functionally dependent and have more disruptive behaviors loss and grief loss affects many aspects of a senior’s life for example social interaction and companionship decrease and social status may change the death of a spouse affects men and women differently in the 2 years after death of a wife the mortality rate in men tends to increase loss can also cause some sleep disturbance and anxiety but these are normal these effects usually go away in a few months however caregivers should be concerned if they notice the following symptoms that are typical of a major depressive episode and that last more than 2 months feelings of guilt about things not directly related to the loss thoughts of death unrelated to survivorship morbid preoccupation with worthlessness hallucinations other than hearing and seeing the person who has died caregivers should look for these symptoms and be aware that care recipients who are experiencing loss of a friend or relative are at high risk of suicide and declining health status information references "effects of life transitions" by barbara j berkman and daniel b kaplan 2009 available at
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Categories: Sage, Topic, Emotional Psychological, Personal
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Keywords: Retirement relocation moving grief loss support groups handling change
*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed