This study explores the question, "How do
severely isolated senior citizens experience their
worlds?" Within the United States, there is a group
of elderly individuals I have termed "geriatric
orphans" - people who do not have family or close
associations to assist them with needed activities
of daily living. The results show that isolated
seniors have a higher incidence of loneliness and
depression. As they grow older and more isolated,
they seek new ways to develop and maintain some sort
of meaning to their lives. The participants each
developed patterns of behaviors to cope...