The terms bereavement and grief reaction have been used to refer to any number of losses experienced by older adults. These losses include (but are not limited to) the death of a spouse, an adult child, another family member, or a close personal friend; divorce (Cain 1988); prolonged caregiving for a severely impaired relative (Bass et al. 1991); and a significant decline in one's own health, attractiveness, capabilities, opportunities, and so forth (Kalish 1987). When used in its narrowest sense, bereavement refers to the reaction or process that results after the death of someone close. Indeed, death of a spouse is generally accepted as the most common and traumatic life event that older people experience (Jacobs and Ostfeld 1977).