From the only reliable source of news on the net, the Onion. Lonely old folks aren’t really that funny. I’ve occasionally had elderly clients who have begun seeing me more than is necessary for what I can do for them as an attorney, and I’ve suspected loneliness. Imagine the amount of loneliness necessary for going to see an attorney to be regarded as a pleasant activity! In those cases I’ve tried to get them involved with local groups. There are quite a few in my town always looking for volunteers.
It is hard on older people when their spouse has died and their kids live hundreds or thousands of miles away. I tend to be fairly busy but whenever one of my older friends and clients drop by simply to talk I do make an effort to find time for them, realizing how easily I could be in their shoes decades from now.
Funny!