Divorce has become increasingly common for people in the US. As more couples divorce, a new idea is coming in as well. Older adults are open to living apart together.
Living apart together (LAT) is a new trend that is emerging among older adults who are adults. As a better quality of life has brought on longer life expectancy, many older people who are divorced are finding a new type of relationship. Living apart together is an emerging form of an intimate relationship without having to live together or being married.
This new type of relationship is being studied by Jacquelyn Benson, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri. Couples who are into living apart together define the relationship as just like that of married couples, but live apart and are not married. Responsibilities and decisions are still made as would be in couples who are physically together.
Benson together with Marilyn Coleman, Curators Professor of Human Development and Family Science, has interviewed adults who are 60 years old and above. These adults are into committed relationships yet do not live together. Motivations for this new type of relationship include being independent and having their own homes.
The new type of relationship also does not submit to certain common terms. People in such relationships do not refer themselves as boyfriend and girlfriend, in part because of their ages. Benson has said that there is a need to learn more about the relationship, such as how the couples decide on such matters as caregiving and health, according to Science Daily.
Benson has said that couples who are living apart together should also discuss such issues, as well as others such as end life planning. As many of the couples in LAT relationships are older, such issues are important to them, as News Wise reports. Benson is continuing to study about LAT relationships among older people.
Older people who are divorced are turning to a new form of relationship. Older adults are open to living apart together. A study has also shown the importance of exercise and sleep against stress.
