"Reducing my risks": a phenomenon of older widows' lived experience.

While scholars and practitioners often use the concept of "risk" in relation to older persons who live at home, there has been limited exploration of risk from the perspective of older persons themselves. During a phenomenologic study of the lived experience of seven older widows who were living alone at home, the participants articulated the risks they experienced and described the ways in which they attempted to reduce these risks. The results have meaningful implications for home care providers and policy makers.