Little sociological attention has been paid to the repartnering of older people after widowhood, and how age, gender and the meanings of marriage influence choices about new cross-gender relationships. This paper reports on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 25 widows and 26 widowers over the age of 65, widowed for at least two years and who had not remarried. Respondents were asked about their current lifestyle and relationships and whether they had ever considered remarriage. The words ‘selfish’ and ‘freedom’ were often used by the widows when describing their present existence, which was associated with not having to look after someone all the time. Few of the widowers mentioned selfishness and this was more likely to be associated with feelings of anger at the loss of their spouse; none of the men associated widowhood with a sense of freedom. The paper argues that the desire for repartnering after widowhood is gender-specific: widows are more likely to choose to remain without a partner for intrinsic factors: the reluctance to relinquish a new-found freedom; while for widowers, extrinsic factors of older age and poor health are more salient issues in new partnership formation choices and constraints.

There is an 'urban myth,' nevertheless widely held, that in widowhood, women grieve and men replace. Indeed, demographic data indicate that older widowed men are more likely to remarry than older widowed women. This article reports a small-scale study of twenty-five widows and twenty-six widowers over the age of sixty-five in the UK. The study focuses on the choices and constraints in the making of new dyadic relationships and how men and women differ in their approaches to them. What emerges from the interview data is a complex picture of friendship and partnership networks which are age-and gender-specific. For most of the widows, some of whom were living by themselves for the first time, being alone was perceived as a sense of liberation. They were unwilling to relinquish it as a trade-off for companionship with caring responsibilities. For the widowers, loneliness was viewed more as a sense of deprivation after a life of being cared for by a woman in whom they had concentrated their emotional existence.There has been substantial investigation of the psychology of bereavement in the early period following loss of a spouse (Glick et al., 1974;Kubler-Ross, 1975;Parkes & Weiss, 1983;Shuchter & Zisook, 1993), but relatively little work has been done on gender differences in the meanings of widowhood in the longer term (Stevens, 1995). This article arises from a small qualitative study of twenty-five widows and twenty-six widowers in the United Kingdom. The respondents were born before 1930 (at least sixty-five years old at time of interview in 1995/6), widowed for a minimum of two years, lived alone in the community, and had not remarried. These criteria were established because the original purpose of the study was to investigate how differently older men and women realigned their lives in the medium and long term after widowhood. The study does not therefore examine the motivations

Most care of older, ailing or disabled people within the home is carried out by a spouse. This paper examines late life marriage and the gendered consequences of caring for older married people in England. Qualitative interview data are analysed to contrast the sense of autonomy of older men and women while caring for a spouse and after widowhood. By encouraging older people to reflect retrospectively on the meaning of their caring roles, we illuminate the process of adjusting to transitions after long-term marriage. The research data indicate that gendered roles and expectations are crucial in understanding the mainly negative experience of older women as carers, in contrast to the more positive experience of older men.

Research indicates older lone men have an elevated risk of social isolation, but there has been little recognition of the way in which marital histories lead to the growth or attenuation of family bonds. First analysed is data from General Household Survey, a national probability based cross-sectional survey, published annually, which included a module on social relationships in 1994 and 1998. Also, interviews with 85 older married, widowed, divorced and never married men revealed that much importance was attached to individual autonomy and independence, and many held ambivalent attitudes towards central features of the "female script," such as the need for intimacy and social engagement. These findings are interpreted in terms of the cultural prescriptions for well-being in later life that, because they are derived from the experiences of research on women, may be ill suited to the perspectives of older men.

Purpose The modified barium swallow study (MBSS) is a widely used videofluoroscopic evaluation of the functional anatomy and physiology of swallowing that permits visualization of bolus flow throughout the upper aerodigestive tract in real time. The information gained from the examination is critical for identifying and distinguishing the type and severity of swallowing impairment, determining the safety of oral intake, testing the effect of evidence-based frontline interventions, and formulating oral intake recommendations and treatment planning. The goal of this review article is to provide the state of the science and best practices related to MBSS. Method State of the science and best practices for MBSS are reviewed from the perspectives of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and radiologists who clinically practice and conduct research in this area. Current quandaries and emerging clinical and research trends are also considered. Results This document provides an overview of the MBSS and standards for conducting, interpreting, and reporting the exam; the SLPs' and radiologist's perspectives on standardization of the exam; radiation exposure; technical parameters for recording and reviewing the exam; the importance of an interdisciplinary approach with engaged radiologists and SLPs; and special considerations for examinations in children. Conclusions The MBSS is the primary swallowing examination that permits visualization of bolus flow and swallowing movement throughout the upper aerodigestive tract in real time. The clinical validity of the study has been established when conducted using reproducible and validated protocols and metrics applied according to best practices to provide accurate and reliable information necessary to direct treatment planning and limit radiation exposure. Standards and quandaries discussed in this review article, as well as references, provide a basis for understanding the current best practices for MBSS.