Danny Miner, a 66-year-old retired chemical plant supervisor, spends most days alone in his Tooele, Utah, apartment, with \u201cGunsmoke\u201d reruns to keep him company and a phone that rarely rings.<\/p>\n
Old age wasn\u2019t supposed to feel this lonely. Mr. Miner married five times, each bride bringing the promise of lifelong companionship. Three unions ended in divorce. Two wives died. Now his legs ache and his balance is faulty, and he\u2019s stopped going to church or meeting friends at the Marine Corps League, a group for former Marines. \u201cI get a little depressed from time to time,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Baby boomers are aging alone more than any generation in U.S. history, and the resulting loneliness is a looming public health threat. About one in 11 Americans age 50 and older lacks a spouse, partner or living child, census figures and other research show. That amounts to about eight million people in the U.S. without close kin, the main source of companionship in old age, and their share of the population is projected to grow.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The baby boomers prized individuality and generally had fewer children and ended marriages in greater numbers than previous generations.” Lesson here for millennials…. \u2014 Marc Thiessen (@marcthiessen) December 13, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
\nThe Loneliest Generation: Americans, More Than Ever, Are Aging Alone https:\/\/t.co\/ZYc4jaQiRL<\/a><\/p>\n