According to the teachers, there is only one thing that all people possess equally. This is their loneliness.
—Hyemeyohsts Storm
The age wave brings with it red flag warnings about the increased threat of loneliness for older adults. Technology cannot save them. No device can come close to the caring presence of another human being and their ability to make them feel real and worthwhile. They need the heart of the Samaritan to keep them from drowning in the painful waters of neglect. And yet it takes so little to cast a lifeline. A knock on the door, a warm greeting over the fence, an invitation to lunch or a new plant left by the front door. There are a million different ways to sooth the lonely heart if we will pause, notice the red flags frantically begging our attention and answer the call we pray will be answered for us when it’s our turn at the end…