Starting Anew: Lived Experience of Remarriage in Filipino Older Persons

Remarriage among older adults is another transition and life decision that entails personal, familial, social, societal and psychological considerations. Second marriage is an odyssey in which less can traverse; an opportunity in which a few can understand its very essence. The purpose of this study is aimed to explore on the lived experiences of Filipino older persons who remarry. This study utilized a descriptive phenological approach. Emerged from the study are 3 major themes that highlighted the journey of older adults who remarried, namely: (1) Misery, Loneliness and Acceptance; (2) Apprehension and Acknowledgment; and, (3) Reconnecting and Moving Forward. Remarriage among older adults in the Philippine context is very unlikely, and different perspectives on this phenomenon arises that are leaning on the unfavorable side of marriage. In the course of the study, it was revealed that more than the unfavorable speculations about older adults who remarry, is a beautiful story in each of the participants that brings another phase of the phenomenon of remarriage among older adults. With the context of remarriage among older adults in the Philippines is of a conservative perspective, it was realized that the phenomenon of remarriage among older adults is the country is occurring and is never to be looked with much negativities. It should be acknowledged and supported as things brings a sense of life satisfaction and fulfillment among these older adults.