By: Cora Tellez

For many of us, our networks shrink as we age due to death and/or friends moving away. But…it doesn’t have to be that way. As odd as it seems, our golden years can, in fact, be a very interesting time of growing our network.

Let me share a story about Ivadell, my hospice patient when I worked in Hawaii (my family didn’t move with me, so I had lots of time after work).

I met Ivadell when she was 91 years old. She had moved to Honolulu from Miami at age 75. She had no family or friends in Hawaii, and no connections through her old job. It was a very gutsy move on her part, as it isn’t always easy to “break in” as a newcomer in a city she’s never lived in. She died a year later. On my last visit, I was asked to put my name down on an excel spreadsheet maintained by a United Airlines flight attendant in the apartment complex she lived in. I was allowed only 30 minutes to visit her, because her vast network of friends wanted to say goodbye. What a lesson she gave me…no matter how old you are, you can still develop networks of friends who will be your support system as you age.