My mother lives over 400 miles from the rest of the family.
Here is what she has done: 1) Made friends that are younger than her. She is 85 and still working, so she has younger friends that have died, so her friends are now younger than me. 2) Joined a church where she has asked that someone call her every so many days (to ensure she is not laying on the floor). The phone conversations go like this- "Hello, how are you doing?" "I'm fine, thank you for calling." Easy and little obligation. 3) Has a medi-alert beeper. Her father (my grandfather) laid on the floor for over a day because there was no one to help him up, so while we make fun of the advertisement it makes sense at a certain age. 4) Has had a complete inventory of what she owns that is valuable and has her attorney keep the list. This is not a full solution, because she forgets what she has given/sold, but it keeps things from getting out of hand. 5) She recognizes that she is prey for scans, so she makes no major decision without conferring with others. For instance, she had a "home repair guy" convince her that she needed her driveway torn up and replaced, because it has cracks. She refused to sign a contract until one of her friends read the contract. The friend laughed and said her driveway had less cracks than hers. 6) THE MOST IMPORTANT-she volunteers for "meals on wheels." She doesn't deliver the meals, but helps at the logistics side. What this does is find new friends, keeps her active, and makes her appreciative for what she has.
Thank you. Good advice all around. I am looking for a good brand of medical alert necklace ... then I’ll buy it. :)