About Us

With a professional background in marketing communications, I am a fairly good researcher, well- organized and connected to lots of service providers. But I had to go all over the internet to find podcasts and information with little success. I had to search hard for workshops through local libraries. Not quite feeling old enough to engage with a Senior Center and being active and healthy, I kept hitting roadblocks.

Eventually, I did find one YouTube site online for women over sixty. That is where I randomly found information that eventually took me on another breadcrumb trip through social media hunting for my “tribe” of Solo Agers like me.

When I read through comment feeds, I was struck by the overwhelming despair of people aging alone who saw a bleak path ahead. Fear of change and fear of the unknown future was woven into every comment. I am an optimist, so while I have very real concerns about my own future, I do believe it is possible to craft a life of purpose and hope and steer clear of bleakness and despair.

In the midst of my research, I attended the 70th birthday party of a family member. His sister, who knows me well, confessed a concern for her daughter in her mid-thirties. An educated young woman with a promising career, she is an only child.  She has no plans to marry and in fact plans to remain solo. Her mother said, “I worry about what Mary will do when Ken and I are gone.”

This encounter sent me on a side path of research to understand the ramifications of the global birthrate decline and the societal implications for change that will affect my life as I age, and Mary’s life, too. The reality is that things will change and quickly.

I believe the bigger impact is the increase of people living alone and aging alone – an increase over time of Solo Agers and Elder Orphans. Not only are we living longer, but there will also be a large cohort of Solo Agers without siblings to help them answer those many questions surrounding the big one: Who will help me as I get old?