Later-Life Homelessness as Disenfranchised Grief

Abstract

Although interest on older homelessness is gaining momentum, little research has considered the experiences of first-time homelessness from the perspective of older adults themselves. This constructivist grounded-theory study addresses this gap by exploring how societal perceptions of homelessness and aging shape access to housing, services, and perceptions of self for 15 older adults residing in emergency homeless shelters in Montreal, (Quebec, Canada). Findings revealed that homelessness evoked a grief response characterized by shock, despair, anger, and in some cases, relief. Connecting and receiving support from other shelter residents and staff helped participants to acknowledge and grieve their losses. However, difficult shelter conditions, the stigma associated with aging and homelessness, and not having their grief recognized or validated served to disenfranchise grief experiences. Conceptualizing later-life homelessness as disenfranchised grief contributes to the aging and homelessness literature while providing new avenues for understanding and validating the experiences of a growing population of vulnerable older adults.

Multiple Barriers

“…Changes to the homeless population continue today: a troubling trend identified recently has been a 58 per cent increase in the number of seniors experiencing homelessness for the first time over the 2005-14 period (ESDC 2017). 18 This confirms what many researchers have long argued -that the population of people experiencing homelessness is aging in tandem with the Canadian population as a whole (Burns, Sussman, and Bourgeois-Guérin 2018). At the same time, service providers and policy-makers have found that more trans people are experiencing homelessness and that this group is particularly vulnerable, requiring specialized and safe spaces.…”

A Biopsychosocial Approach to Grief, Depression, and the Role of Emotional Regulation

“…However, literature on grief and bereavement poses some incongruences regarding what types of loss could trigger a grieving process or psychopathologies. Some studies show that non-social loss (e.g., loss of house, job, or health) can trigger a maladaptive grieving process [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Nevertheless, other studies have failed to find a statistical significance linked to it [ 26 ].…”