Abstract The loss of a significant other often creates emotional distress for family members that can hamper the ability to meet everyday challenges and pursue wellness. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand the challenge of losing a significant other for older adult family members and the approaches identified as most helpful to promote their own well-being after this person dies. Story inquiry method guided the interview process with 15 older adult bereaved family members residing in a continuing care retirement community. Theory-guided content analysis was used for data analysis. Two themes described the challenges: uneasiness that permeates everyday living and precious memories and patterns of disconnect that breed discontent. Appreciating the rhythmic flow of everyday connecting and separating and embracing reality as situated in one’s lifelong journey are the themes that encompass the helpful approaches used by participants. This study provided insights about the benefits of living in this community such as social networking and a possible drawback such as the frequency of death among residents. Future research should continue to investigate social service resources that older adults find most helpful after a significant other dies and the use of reminiscence groups as a form of bereavement support.

中文翻译：

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生活在退休社区的老年人在重要他人去世后继续前进的有用方法

摘要 失去重要他人往往会给家庭成员带来情绪困扰，从而阻碍他们应对日常挑战和追求健康的能力。这项定性研究的目的是了解老年家庭成员失去另一半的挑战，以及在此人去世后最有助于促进他们自己福祉的方法。故事询问方法指导了对居住在持续护理退休社区的 15 名年长的失去亲人的家庭成员的采访过程。理论指导的内容分析用于数据分析。两个主题描述了这些挑战：弥漫在日常生活中的不安和珍贵的记忆，以及滋生不满的脱节模式。欣赏日常生活中连接、分离和拥抱现实的有节奏的流动，就像在一个人的终生旅程中一样，是包含参与者使用的有用方法的主题。这项研究提供了有关生活在该社区的好处（例如社交网络）和可能的缺点（例如居民的死亡频率）的见解。未来的研究应继续调查老年人认为在其他重要人物去世后最有帮助的社会服务资源，以及使用怀念团体作为丧亲支持的一种形式。