Aged Care Insite Issue 114 | Aug-Sep 2019 | Page 27

practical living home maintenance, managing finances and transport. Most had never questioned their familial dependence, or indeed even considered it ‘dependence’. Those who were reliant on late spouses were often similarly dependent on children for informal support. Such dependence thwarted opportunities to grow or undertake new, potentially positive experiences or responsibilities in widowhood. SOCIAL ISOLATION AND EXCLUSION For many older adults, both widowhood and older age can shrink social networks. For older non-English-speaking migrants, social exclusion from mainstream, English- speaking society is often a reality. Due to widowhood, social isolation and exclusion was rife among this group, especially in rural areas, due to the added geographic and transport barriers. SOCIALISING IN WIDOWHOOD Socialising represents an important aspect of social support and inclusion. This group valued socialising, highlighting several benefits, including keeping busy, combating isolation and relieving stress. Being widowed is somewhat stigmatising for older Greeks, impacting on their ability and willingness to socialise. Many assumed declines in socialising simply represented their lived reality as an older widowed adult. Widows often felt that losing a spouse hindered their ability to socialise with others. Some widowers attributed social declines to gender, as their wives had primarily organised social contact or cooked for guests. STIGMA AND GOSSIP Many widowed Greek migrants feel further excluded in Australia as widows and widowers due to cultural norms and expectations dictating the inappropriateness of, or stigma around, socialising in certain contexts following widowhood. This is particularly the case where couples or individuals of the opposite gender are concerned, in addition to certain social situations. There was a sense that Greek widows or widowers who chose to socialise would be stigmatised or judged by others. Fear of being subject to gossip within the Greek community was a strict normative consideration. Threat of gossip functioned as a mechanism of social control, whereby maintaining good reputations as older, widowed adults protected their individual and familial names from community disapproval or shaming. For this group of first-generation Greek men and women, widowhood impacted health and wellbeing in later life. Support from their children often helped to fill the void of spousal loss. Older migrants without biological children, or who lack supportive familial relationships, may find themselves increasingly isolated and ageing in a country that remains ‘foreign’, even decades after migrating. As widowed women typically live longer than men, they may require increased support for longer periods. ■ Dr Georgia Rowley is a research associate at Flinders University interested in qualitative social gerontology INTERNATIONAL DEMENTIA CONFERENCE CARE IN THE AGE OF OUTRAGE FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN SHARE 11-12 JUNE 2020 HILTON SYDNEY AUSTRALIA CALL FOR PAPERS SUBMIT NOW Submission deadline 8.11.19 dementiaconference.com General enquiries: International Dementia Conference Team E: [email protected] P: +61 2 8437 7355 agedcareinsite.com.au 23