Widowhood Effect.

[Unforgettablefire]

I'm just curious if anyone has experience of this?
We have had a bereavement in the family and are worried about the effect it's going to have on their DW.
I didn't know there was an actual name given to a partner passing soon after their loved one so I'm wondering just how common it is or if it's a real thing? Has anyone known it to happen?

It’s a real thing as far as husbands are concerned. It’s been known for a long time from statistics. Don’t think it’s so likely when it’s the wife left behind - though it seems I may be wrong on that

It's a real thing.

Two people who have lived a long time together are more likely to have shared the same healthh habits eg exercise, smoking, drinking, diet. So it's more likely that if one of them is in bad health so is the other.

Also over a very long period of time, they form a unit. So what is manageable by two people in variable health, is unmanageable by one. Especially one who is elderly and finds it harder to learn new skills.

And that is all without the emotional element. After a relationship of 20, 30, 40 years or longer the bereavement will be deep and personally I feel it is almost disrespectful to the relationship to feel some counselling and nice days out will shift the depth of loss quicker.

Thank you for the replies they're very enlightening, especially the stuff about shared habits I never thought of that.

Two people who have lived a long time together are more likely to have shared the same healthh habits eg exercise, smoking, drinking, diet. So it's more likely that if one of them is in bad health so is the other. If the two share healthy habits, then it’s hard for the person grieving to maintain those habits. If you’ve lost your life partner, will you really feel like cooking from scratch for yourself?

Then there’s the looking out for each other’s health that you do. “You’ve got an odd looking mole on the back of your shoulder”

And then there’s the effect of stress on the heart. “Dying of a broken heart” is a thing.

Absolutely @MereDintofPandiculation that's really helpful

My DM developed a severe autoimmune disease after the death of my DF. While she did have all the risk factors, she doesn't feel it was coincidence that she developed it at that point.

Grieving also meant she didn't recognize how ill she was for a long time. It was only when I came home for Christmas and said FFS mum, this isn't depression/grief that she got diagnosed.

She was basically hibernated for 2 years after DF died and I am sure no healthy food or exercise was done in that time.