ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses a given in old age – the increasing number of deaths of people the person has known for a long period of time and who have truly known them. The effects of being without one’s social convoy, the relationships that have contributed to a person’s sense of connection, safety, security, and validation, are discussed. Also addressed are strategies a clinician can employ to help people not withdraw and instead remain active as their social network shrinks, and strategies to help people focus on what they have valued in these past relations and not only focus on what they feel they have lost.
