Isolation is a problem for seniors and people who lost their job (like me). All the people I socialized with at work for 5 years are too busy to talk on the phone. Emails only go so far and are no replacement for a conversation, laughter, and sharing concerns.

I'm good at being alone, reading, watching movies, taking an on-line class right now - but it doesn't replace relationships. Some days and weeks are difficult, at best.

Even when we complain about not having enough free time for ourselves to be alone, being alone to the point of isolation gets old pretty fast and I think its unhealthey as well.

gims, welcome home!

This isolation topic hits home for me. When people stop driving, they are cut off, especially if they don't live in a retirement community. Dad lives alone and unless we take him somewhere, he's home all the time. I can't imagine a life like that. He spends a lot of time on the phone talking with family and the friends that are left.

Saundra, is it possible to set up a weekly walk with some of the people you worked with?

For our generation, things might have an additional dimension now that many of us use the Internet for communication and to also do videoconferencing. The more avenues of communication, the better for the housebound.

Just recently Google is announcing its google phone email service to be launched soon where your voicemail will automatically get converted to email. Already some phone companies offer this already. It's great if some severely disabled elderly cannot pick up the phone to dial, they can read the message by email.

My partner's mother in the nursing home did not have private phone service. Nor did she have a cell. She wouldn't have been able to hear with her declining hearing. And combined with her dementia she had problems dialing out if she had access.

So voicemail converted to email is a possible solution for communication with the outside world.

I can see it already, some computer literate nursing home residents creating their own blogs. Can be good for them. So another powerful reason why nursing home operators should not severely limit Internet access to residents.

This is not a substitute for face to face visits/meetings. But there always needs to be mechanisms for residents to have a voice to the outside world beyond the walls of their residence.

If I seem to sound like an advocate...so let it be. We need to prepare ourselves, be alert for others and the future so our options for our loved ones and ourselves are not shut down.

All great topics and responses.

Another area I'd like to learn more about is Co-housing. I believe there's even an association that helps in organizing these communities.

The whole concept is appealing since it addresses social/isolation issues, frugality (sharing cars/driving, buying groceries in bulk, lower housing prices, etc), sharing expertise about aging issues, continuing education (living near a university if that's a group desire) and more.