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KFF Health News’ “Navigating Aging” columnist, Judith Graham, spent six months this year talking to older adults who live alone by choice or by circumstance — most commonly, a spouse’s death. They shared their hopes and fears, challenges, and strategies for aging solo.
Graham moderated a live event on Dec. 11, hosted by KFF Health News and The John A. Hartford Foundation. She invited five seniors ranging in age from 71 to 102 and from across the country — from Seattle; Chicago; Asheville, North Carolina; New York City; and rural Maine — to talk candidly about the ways they are thriving at this stage of life.
More than 16 million Americans are living alone while growing old, an unprecedented number. This slice of the older population has significant health issues: Nearly 4 in 10 people age 65 or older who live alone have vision or hearing loss, difficulty caring for themselves and living independently, problems with cognition, or other disabilities. People aging alone are also at higher risk of becoming isolated, depressed, and inactive; experiencing accidents; and neglecting to care for themselves.
A person who listened to the panel conversation observed: “I am struck by the seeming absence of fear, acceptance of the hands they have been dealt, and the lack of denial about this phase of life. Minimal time spent worrying. Full lives. Mostly comfortable with living alone. THIS dispels many myths about what living alone looks like.”
Read the stories here: https://kffhealthnews.org/news/tag/going-it-alone/
click here for the transcript
Transcript: ‘Going It Alone’ — A Conversation About Growing Old in America
[Editor’s note: This transcript was generated using both transcription software and a human’s light touch. It has been edited for style and clarity.]
Judith Graham: Good …