Widowed Woman Struggles to Adapt in New Hometown

A woman has moved to her hometown after her husband’s death. She chose a 55+ community to live in fifteen minutes away from her brother and sister-in-law. Admittedly, the new circumstances were not as fruitful as she wished from a social perspective. Although it is convenient for her to be close to family members, the woman has not created her circle of friends. Instead, she got even closer to her relatives and now feels guilty for not letting them enjoy their time with their friends leaving space for her. The fact of her moving resulted in an additional pressure for her brother and sister-in-law because they cannot just go shopping without asking her to go with them.

It is a common social situation for older people who relocate. They believe that the new life would bring new experiences and friends, but that is not usually the cases. Now the woman is too dependent on her family, and she has to live with it. Indeed, the circumstances are not fair towards the relocated elderly. It was a proposal to create new relationships to gain her independence, and the situation forced everybody to take an opposite road. Currently, the compromise is still be found, and the family hopes that the woman will get her way and friends to spend time with on her own.