“I’m 68 And Totally Alone”: 50 People Share What It’s Like Being Seniors

People are different in their upbringing, in their tastes, even in their looks. But all people do have one thing in common: we're all heading towards the same end. With the exception of Bryan Johnson, maybe.

Still, we're all aging, whether we like it or not. And with aging comes social isolation; according to a 2024 Medicare report, 57% of adults aged 65 and older report feeling lonely.

The users of Quora recently tackled this problem when one person wrote: "I'm 63 years old and so lonely. Does it matter to anyone?" Many older people rushed to the comments to share their stories, highlighting the sad realities they face today.

Bored Panda sought the expertise of the anti-ageism activist Jacynth Bassett, Founder and CEO of Ageism Is Never In Style about how important social connections are to us as we age. We also spoke with her about the right terminology when referring to older people and how we can all spot ageist attitudes in ourselves.

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"I'm 68 And Totally Alone": 50 People Share What It's Like Being Seniors I'm 70 years old. My precious wife of 41 years died this past January. I still feel like my world exploded.

My kids and grandkids stay in touch and try to keep me from being lonely. But in reality when they go home, I am still alone. In an empty house that is filled with memories and love.

I have friends and I have family. But I have never felt so alone in my whole life.

I'm a disabled veteran and for years my wife went to every doctors appointment with me.

We were together 24/7 for years.

I have decided that there's just no way this gets better. I am going to live with this loneliness for the rest of my life.

I have to say that the loneliness is nothing compared to the agony of having the other half of my heart ripped out as I stood helpless beside her hospital bed and holding her hand. That little woman coded 6 times before she gave in.

The 4th time they got her back, the doctor asked me if she coded again did I want them to resuscitate her. I said no, I don't want to keep putting her through that.

She coded again for the 5th time. The nurse standing across her bed from me and one of my daughters said she had no pulse and no BP . She started to go outside the room to get the doctor when suddenly there was a single beep from the monitor. She had a pulse. The nurse said it was from the epinephrine they had used to resuscitate her.

Her pulse climbed to 114 and her BP started to rise. It rose to 142/58 .I looked at the nurse and she said, this isn't the epinephrine, she came back.

The doctor and the whole code team were standing in the hall outside her open door. When the monitors started beeping by themselves he came and stood behind me.

I leaned over and kissed her forehead. I squeezed her head and told her. “You are my heart. You have been since the first time I saw your beautiful spirit. I don't ever want you to go, but even more I don't want you to suffer. If you have to go, I'll understand.

The beeping slowed down and gently stopped. She had coded for the sixth and final time. I could literally feel her leaving and for several minutes I thought that I might die too.

I turned and saw the doctor and he took my arm in his hand. He said, I have never seen anything like this happen before. He said she fought harder to stay than anyone I have ever seen.

As I write this through my tears, I have shared my feelings with strangers like I have never done before. I just don't!

But this thread touched me. I wasn't looking for my angel when I found her.

My life was a sorry state and when I asked her out, she looked me right in the eyes and said, I don't date drunks.

She caused me to change my life that very day. I don't have to tell you how the story turned out because I told you how it ended first.

I have been sober for almost 43 years now.

No matter what may happen in the rest of my life, this loneliness will live deep in my soul because she has gone from this walk and from my life.

Because she looked into my heart and gave me a chance, I have known love in ways that I never even dreamed possible.

So I tell each of you. If you are lonely you can change that. You don't have to go hunting love. If you let it and you give it a reason it will find you.

Remember this, you can't give what you don't have. So, put a smile on your face and go out and meet new people and make new friends. Allow yourself to feel joy and happiness and most of all learn to love yourself so that if and when love finds you, you will have stocked up on love to return. After all, love only works it's magic when you give it away.

So give you some love to share with those around you. And someday when you look back you will be amazed at just how much you loved and how much you were loved.

First Nations Outreach Project , Pavel Danilyuk Report

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“I’m 68 And Totally Alone”: 50 People Share What It’s Like Being Seniors

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