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Death and Social Policy in Challenging Times pp 131–149Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Bereavement Support in Later Life: An Emerging Social Problem for the Twenty-First Century

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Abstract

In the UK changes in life expectancies and patterns of mortality have meant that bereavement is most likely to be experienced in the later years of life. Older people’s increased likelihood of, and past experiences with, loss has led to a number of socially constructed assumptions about this experience which, for the most part, have constructed bereavement as being a ‘less’ traumatic experience for older people than it is for younger people. Consequently: experiences of bereavement for this population can be said to have been largely discounted by UK society which has not placed a great deal of importance on the provision of support to people who are bereaved; also by academics and researchers, who have afforded little consideration as to what their experiences of, or needs for, support may be; and by policymakers, who have not regarded bereavement support for older people as a policy priority.

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Authors
  1. Jodie Croxall
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Sheffield, UK

    Liam Foster (Lecturer in Social Work) (Lecturer in Social Work)

  2. University of Bath, UK

    Kate Woodthorpe (Senior Lecturer in Sociology) (Senior Lecturer in Sociology)

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© 2016 Jodie Croxall

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Croxall, J. (2016). Bereavement Support in Later Life: An Emerging Social Problem for the Twenty-First Century. In: Foster, L., Woodthorpe, K. (eds) Death and Social Policy in Challenging Times. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137484901_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137484901_8

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-55799-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-48490-1

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