It'd be a doggone lonely world without them. It's important to recognize that living in a lonely world is not an inevitable result of growing older. Indeed, old people are less likely to express loneliness than younger people, according to Carstensen. Therefore, if an elderly person is lonely, the cause is likely to be circumstances rather than age. And circumstances can often be modified.
Prevention is the best medicine for loneliness.
It can also mean staying put. Postretirement moves can sever even the best of friendships, so seniors and their families are wise to weigh the social costs of relocating against the advantages of living near relatives. Then there are his friends at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, with whom he gathers every day to drink coffee and joke around. When friends are separated, staying in touch by phone or mail is an important stopgap, but to keep a friendship vibrant, there's no substitute for being there, at least from time to time. You hung out with friends and did stuff together.