With Love Relationships, anything can happen in this period of great transition. They can grow stronger as wisdom and experience show you the importance of love and companionship. Or, they can fall apart due to lack of intimacy and mutual respect. Even the strongest and healthiest relationships require adjustment during the Third Age. As each partner changes the focus of their lives and their values shift, the whole relationship may require renegotiation. You need to let go of old hopes and dreams and find new ones. There are many ways to negotiate - one psychologist uses what he calls, "The Policy of Joint Agreement -- never do anything without an enthusiastic agreement between you and your spouse." Third Age Foundation Certified Coaches help couples negotiate in order to revitalize love relationships.
For couples, as it is in every aspect of a happy and healthy Third Age, continued emotional and spiritual development is the cornerstone of the nurturing process. You cannot rise to a higher level if you are held down with ghosts of the past, prisons of the present and fears of the future. Our method is heavily influence by John Gottman's work at the University of Washington. However, we tailor our work to couples who are in the Third Age.
In the case of the death of one of the partners, there is a huge vacant hole to be filled, and this hole can lead to extreme suffering and depression. This is a time when, more than ever, you need support from a group of friends and peers to whom you can safely express your deepest feelings. Third Age Foundation Discussion Support Groups are an excellent way to deal with and reduce the pain of your loss with people who care about you and fully understand your situation.
To learn more about the services and programs provided by the Third Age Organizations, click on the relevant category in the boxes below.
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