Older women’s experiences of companion animal death: impacts on well-being and aging-in-place

Abstract

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.

Adverse events in older adults and the risk of dementia and cognitive decline

“…Anecdotal reports of women comparing the loss of a pet with experiencing a miscarriage have been noted, in that the extent of their grief was not acknowledged by their community, particularly within support services such as pastoral care ( Brown, 2006 ). In addition, a qualitative study of older women who experienced the death of a companion animal reported losses in pet-related physical activity, such as neighbourhood walks ( Wilson et al, 2021 ), which may also contribute to poor cognitive health ( Mandolesi et al, 2018 ).…”

The roles of pets in long-term care at home: a qualitative study

“…However, pet bereavement was mentioned as a potential problem. Research indicates that pet bereavement can lead to high levels of grief for long periods (weeks to months), loss of social contacts (e.g., while walking the dog), and loss of relationship and support experienced from the pet [ 27 ]. Thus, pet bereavement can negatively impact several domains in clients’ lives, and, therefore, requires the attention of healthcare services to improve wellbeing for LTCH-clients—for instance, through supportive counselling.…”

Betekenis van huisdieren in de langdurige thuiszorg

“…Onderzoek toont aan dat dit soort rouw aanzienlijke negatieve gevolgen kan hebben, zoals langdurig verdriet, verlies van sociale contacten en emotionele steun. 35 Daarom zouden zorgverleners aandacht moeten hebben voor rouw om het verlies van huisdieren en daarbij beoordelen of extra ondersteuning nodig is.…”