Grief does not follow a linear path. For older adults, grieving is often complicated by the sense that the world has moved on while their own heart remains suspended in sorrow. Whether grieving the death of a partner, the loss of lifelong friends, or the dissolution of roles and identities, older adults face unique challenges in how their grief is perceived and supported. This post explores the long arc of grief in older adulthood and how to foster healing and integration.

Grief is often associated with the death of a loved one, but there are many other kinds of loss that touch our lives just as deeply. For many older adults, aging brings profound changes in the body that can feel like invisible griefs—quiet, unspoken, yet powerful. The ability to walk unassisted, to drive to the store, to kneel in the garden, or to lift a grandchild may seem like small things to the outside world, but when those abilities fade, they leave behind an emptiness t

As we age, grief often becomes a more prominent companion in our lives. While society tends to associate grief primarily with the death of a loved one, older adults frequently experience a more nuanced and complex form of grief: the loss of a former version of themselves. Whether it's the result of retirement, physical decline, cognitive changes, or the passing of peers, older adults must often face multiple layers of grief, each impacting their identity and sense of purpose.