The Gerontologist, Vol 39, Issue 5 615-620, Copyright © 1999 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

Pathfinders: a self-care and health education program for older widows and widowers

MS Caserta, DA Lund and SJ Rice
Gerontology Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112-5880, USA. [email protected]

Recent studies suggest that the loss of a spouse can be disruptive to the survivor's self-care and health promotion practices, especially for those who lack the knowledge and skills to successfully engage in these behaviors. Pathfinders is a theoretically and research-based self-care and health education program for recently widowed persons aged 50 and older. This article describes the program's structure, content, and recruitment methods. Preliminary evaluation data suggest that the program is achieving many of the intended outcomes. Issues pertaining to replication as well as limitations are discussed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. S. Fry Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life Perspectives, Self-Esteem, and Life Satisfactions of Older Adults Following Spousal Loss: An 18-Month Follow-up Study of Widows and Widowers Gerontologist, December 1, 2001; 41(6): 787 - 798. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. S. Fry The Unique Contribution of Key Existential Factors to the Prediction of Psychological Well-Being of Older Adults Following Spousal Loss Gerontologist, February 1, 2001; 41(1): 69 - 81. [Abstract] [Full Text]