Are you an elder orphan?

There are those 55 and older, alone, without mates or adult children. Carol Marak, an elder advocate has dubbed them “elder orphans.” She has created the Elder Orphan Facebook group (Facebook.com/groups/elderorphan) as a meeting place and support group for these seniors. The site, just a year old, already has more than 4000 members!

Marak also edits seniorcare.com which offers a wealth of very helpful information about resources for older people in every state.

In the informative Senior Living section of The Dallas Morning News on March 14, 2017 where this is described, we learn that one resource, the movement for shared housing among older women, is growing across the country. This offers new options to elder orphans and others, where expenses can be shared, relationships can expand, and a new life chapter can begin.

On our 70Candles.com blog, we hear from many women who feel alone. They wonder where they will live next, they tell of problems keeping up their home, and with finding transportation. Some are lonely and feel disconnected from the communities that surround them. Some feel depressed.

Here are some of the web sites that offer matching services for those seeking roommates and those offering to share room in their homes:

Roommates4boomers.com
Goldengirlsnetwork.com
Sharedhousingcenter.weebly.com/homeshare (Dallas)
Affordable Living for the Aging alaseniorliving.org (Los Angeles)

Here is the link to Marak’s informative Aging Insider newsletter:

https://www.seniorcare.com/resources/aging-industry-insider/top-news-for-March-2017/

If you know of other shared housing programs where you live, please spread the word by sharing that information here. This is an idea whose time has come!