Final answer:
Prior experience with adversity tends to help older adults develop more resilient strategies for coping with the death of loved ones. Factors such as religious beliefs and cultural values can influence how they perceive and manage the loss, with a diverse array of individual coping mechanisms at play.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of older adults dealing with the death of loved ones, prior experience with adversity often leads to more resilient coping strategies. Unlike the “stages of grief” model, which suggests a uniform series of emotional reactions to loss, real-life experiences and coping mechanisms are influenced by a variety of factors, including cultural values, spirituality, and previous encounters with hardship. Studies indicate that individuals with a strong religious or spiritual background tend to find solace through their beliefs in an afterlife and benefit from the social support associated with their religious or spiritual communities.
Furthermore, those who have faced challenges earlier in life may exhibit a certain fortitude when encountering the inevitability of death. Whether due to maturing through life's milestones or navigating life's adversities, these experiences can contribute to more effective personal coping strategies and a more dignified approach to end-of-life transition. However, it is also essential to recognize that attitudes toward aging and death are deeply rooted in society's norms, which can impact how individuals confront these events, including potential evasion of much-needed help, as seen with some seniors during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.