Spousal Bereavement as a Triggering Mechanism for a Loss of Residential Independence Among Canadian Seniors

Although it is well recognized that unmarried seniors are more likely to experience instability in their living arrangements than their married counterparts, few studies have tested whether spousal bereavement in and of itself operates as a triggering mechanism for a subsequent loss of residential independence. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Canadian seniors are at greatest risk for institutionalization and coresidence with others in the period immediately following spousal bereavement and whether this risk declines as acute responses to the crisis of bereavement become tempered with time. Data come from six waves of the Canadian National Population Health Survey (1994-2004), with the sample restricted to married or cohabiting adults who, at initial interview, were 65 years of age or older and living in a couple-only household (n = 1,082). Results from a competing risks analysis for time to first event, where first event was either moving into an institution or sharing a residence with others, confirm the time-dependent consequences of spousal bereavement. Relative to seniors whose spouse was still living 10 years later, respondents who experienced the death of a spouse or partner between 1994 and 2004 were at significantly greater risk for both institutionalization and coresidence in the period immediately following bereavement, with risk attenuating over time.