Living Alone and Isolation

It's been 5 years since I've lived alone and while looking forward to it, I'm aware it can be lonesome. 

Feelings of loneliness, depression, and social isolation are key risks to seniors aging successfully. As we age we not only lose spouses, family members, and friends, we also lose our ability to drive and get out of the house on our own. The difficulty of maintaining and making new relationships and being actively involved in the community often causes loneliness and sadness.*.

Living alone can be lonesome or not.

What?

If there is no regular connection with others, it can be a lonesome time. Also, if handicapped and unable to get out and about, or quarantined, as we older folks are now, and without friends or family stopping by, it can be lonesome.

I'm fortunate in that I have a large family and someone is in touch with me, especially if they don't see me online. Then I get a call or text, more often text because they work, have families, and busy lives.

But what about those who are without family or in a situation where a family can't check on them every day to be sure they are okay?

A friend of mine tripped over a cord and fell, broke her shoulder, unable to get up or get near her phone she lay there for hours until her daughter just happened to drop by after her nursing job at a hospital.

“I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”

– Henry David Thoreau

My neighbor downstairs at my old apartment also fell. Lay there for almost 24 hours. I had noticed there was no sound coming from his apartment, saw his truck parked, knocked on his door, no answer so went to complex manager. The police came and said my noticing him not moving about probably saved his life.

Do you sometimes misplace your keys, your purse, the TV remote? With this tracker, you can find whatever is misplaced even in the dark.

                                             

“Booksellers are the most valuable destination for the lonely, given the numbers of books that were written because authors couldn’t find anyone to talk to.”– 
Alain de Botton

Do you know someone who lives alone, may have no contact with family or friends? Can you take a few moments to call them and chat, let them know they can call you if they have a problem, or just need to talk to someone?

That is a way you can help them and keep yourself from being lonely.

* https://www.seniorsafetyreviews.com/the-dangers-of-senior-isolation-and-loneliness/  

Never misplace your keys, remote, or anything that likes to move itself around when you least expect it.