Tag Archives: living alone

A recent article in The Washington Post discussed a growing and concerning trend: women who live alone and have dementia. Women tend to live longer than men and have a greater chance of developing dementia, so this trend is not surprising, but raising awareness may help communities better serve this aging in place population who have specialized needs.

As someone who is kinless and divorced, with dementia on both sides of my family tree, I think about this scenario often. For now, I’m focused on maintaining good overall health while I consider for my future living arrangements a planned community that intentionally accounts for the needs of their elder population. Things like providing rides to doctor’s appointments or for grocery shopping and offering lawncare and home repair services can help support an elder in the earlier stages of dementia who is living on their own. Making professional services such as financial and legal advisors is also beneficial. One of the most important tasks is one of the most simple: checking in on neighbors with dementia who are on their own to reduce isolation and as a way to ensure someone who needs a higher level of care receives it.

For long-distance caregivers, one challenge is encouraging your elder loved ones to take advantage of resources in their community. After my father died, my mother was very lonely, yet she shunned the social groups at the community senior center. I felt helpless in trying to aid in this situation. My mother didn’t have dementia, which can create an additional layer of resistance.

Here are resources for those with dementia who live alone:

The Alzheimer’s Association: If you live alone

National Institute on Aging: Tips for Living Alone With Early-Stage Dementia

Alzheimer’s Society: Living alone as a person with dementia

Image by Microsoft Copilot.