28% of Seniors Chose Solo Life; Society Forgot To RSVP
KEY POINTS
- •Valerie Miller, 68, lives alone in San Bernardino working remotely at a truck-permitting company with dwindling family support.
- •About 28% of Americans 65 and older are 'solo-agers,' a figure that rose from 10% in 1950, with many facing poverty and health struggles.
- •Housing options with accessibility features are scarce, pushing solos to worry about affordability and future care as costs rise.
Meet Valerie Miller, 68, San Bernardino's unintentional hermit with a remote truck permit job and no family backup—just a brother and ghosted nephew to ghost her. Around 22.1 million Americans aged 65+ live solo and kid-free, up from 10% in 1950, proving family reunions are out, solo survival is in. With arthritis & vertigo tagging along, Valerie gets notices to tame her wild bushes she can’t prune anymore. Baby boomers once stuck around hometowns, now family members scatter like autumn leaves, leaving this generation juggling poverty (20% rate for solos), pricey rent, and health woes with zero nets. Housing? A laughable 10% have accessibility features, because apparently, builders think 72-year-old solo women prefer scavenger hunts to grab bars.
Share the Story
Boomers mastered the ‘solo ager’ lifestyle because who needs family when you've got arthritis, vertigo, and unpassable shrubbery serving as plot twists?
Turning 65 today means more ‘solo ager’ perks: loneliness, poverty, and enough stairs to earn Olympic training creds.
Remember when families meant backup? Now 22 million elders are the adult version of lone wolves, except with email bills and no snacks.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 12/7/2025 | Author: Eliza Relman
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