The short answer
Much the same way as at any age. You see the same people again and again, and one day you are the one who suggests coffee.
It can take longer than it used to, and the first months can feel awkward. It can still work.
What to do
- Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, or ask at your library, about what meets every week near you.
- Choose one thing that meets every week.
- Go four times, if you can, before you decide about it.
- Suggest coffee, or a walk, to one person there.
- Say yes to an invitation when you can manage it, and leave when you want to.
- Keep a list of the people you meet and where you met them. You can use The people around you at the back of this book.
What can wait
- Close friendship. If it comes, it can come later, after many ordinary meetings, and it can't be hurried.
- Joining more than one thing.
- Telling new people about him, until you want to.
Who can help
- Your senior center, found through the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 or eldercare.acl.gov. Ask what meets each week, and ask about transportation help if you don't drive.
- Your public library. A librarian can help you find what meets there and nearby.
- A volunteer center, if your town has one, or the staff at your senior center, for somewhere to volunteer.
The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’ own pages in October 2026. They change, so check anything you rely on with the office itself.
From Book 6: The People Around You
This page has the short answer and the closing lists from chapter 11. The full chapter explains, in plain words, what exists, what to ask, and who can answer. The book covers months 3 to 18.
Hear when the next book is out
Five or six short emails a year at most, and a note when a new book is out. Each one is about something that tends to come up in the first two years. You can unsubscribe whenever you like.