Divorcing for Older Adults

Divorcing for Older Adults

Many couples divorce after decades of marriage. Some split after the children have left home and the two “empty nesters” realize they have nothing in common anymore. Divorcing as an older person can have additional stressors such as reclaiming an identity and learning to earn money again. Many seniors who divorce face the fear of no retirement benefits or not knowing how to go about purchasing a home, after co-owning one with a spouse for many years.

Divorced at 50

She was “married to her best friend for 32 years,” writes the blogger of Divorced at 50, and suddenly faced a divorce. As an older woman, she struggled to find information for newly divorced individuals in her age group, as many self-help books and general advice is focused on divorced individuals at least 20 years younger. Her aim was to “split amicably, with civility and humor and with my dignity intact.” Divorced at 50 focuses on one’s well-being while going through a divorce.

While she doesn’t offer “professional” advice on finances and similar topics, her insights into re-creating oneself as an older, single person offers comfort to those who are going through a similar experience. She is frank about discussing her fears of growing older with the possibility of a marital status of single. She has taken her painful experience of divorce and turned it into a positive, informative experience where newly divorced individuals of any age, but especially seniors, could find a sense of camaraderie.