The aging process for many includes physical or mental deterioration which can place considerable strain on both the individual and his or her life partner, who now has to contend not only with his or her own diminished function because of aging but also must take on a new role as caretaker. The result for the caretaker-partner is increased tension and stress at a time of life when stress should be reduced, and this stress can itself contribute to the physical and psychological problems of the elderly leading to impaired function, increased deterioration, and even suicide. How well an individual does in his or her new role as the partner deteriorates will depend on that individual's own reserve of inner strength and what sorts of external support they receive from family and community.
There is little doubt that this is a significant issue given the fact that suicide is the 13th leading cause of death in persons aged 65 or over. In spite of this, few studies have focused on suicide attempts among the elderly ("Suicide attempts in elderly psychiatric inpatients," 1992, 953). Those studies that have been conducted have related the issue to various concepts of psychopathology and often to a conception of the life cycle. At every stage in life we are faced with the need for individual and social adjustments in response to changes in roles, expectations, and patterns of behavior. The critical factors for the adjustment of the older couple may be their ability to perform successfully their new roles and the value placed on these roles by others in their social milieu. Patterns of aging have been changing as life expectancy has changed. The typical couple twenty years ago had a life expectancy that enabled them to live together approximately 31 years after marriage. Longer life expectancy has increased this time and also means that any children are likely to be themselves married and moved out by the time any member of the coupl...