Moyo Studio/Getty Images
- Rick Grossman, 70, has struggled with loneliness for most of his life.
- That changed when he joined a “senior village,” a community that connected him with virtual and in-person resources.
- He’s found lasting friendships from the village, and he hopes for a greater focus on loneliness among older adults.
Rick Grossman, 70, thought it was absurd that at the start of the pandemic, he kept getting emails advising him not to isolate.
“I thought that was just about as helpful as saying, ‘don’t grow a tail,'” Grossman told Business Insider. “It’s advice without much more behind it.”
Grossman described himself as having “12 second acts,” holding jobs as a school teacher, computer tech support, business sales, corporate communications, and a toy store owner — and each of those employment opportunities has brought him to Pennsylvania, Texas, California, New Jersey, and now Seattle, where he currently lives.