Home » News & Events » ‘Solo Agers’ Are Thriving on Their Own Terms
by Elaine Silvestrini for Kiplinger
Solo aging — growing older without a partner, an adult child or close relative to care for you — can sneak up on people, even as the population of solo agers explodes nationwide. The increasing numbers of independent older adults have much in common with each other, yet are at high risk of loneliness and isolation.
For many, aging solo is a choice to pursue autonomy and independence, a way to live on their own terms without having to explain, get permission or make compromises.
Others are thrust into aging alone. It’s estimated that 15 million Americans aged 55 and up don’t have children or a partner. That doesn’t include people estranged from their kids or who can’t depend on them or other relatives as they age.
“Solo agers have always been around,” says Emily Nabors, associate director of innovation at the National Council on Aging. “But I think as people are living longer in the community, it is more common.”
The numbers are growing because of the massive, aging baby boom generation, preferences to age in place, cultural changes, such as birth control, that enabled boomers to have fewer children, the ability of women to support themselves financially and fraying familial ties.
While solo aging enables people to make their own decisions, the downsides can be daunting. You may phone 911 during an emergency, but who will unlock the door to let the medics in? Who’s going to take over your finances when your cognition starts to go? Who’s going to help you take a shower or get dinner when you’re recovering from an injury or surgery? One answer is to prepare and plan well in advance to have support systems in place.
Between 1970 and 2022, the proportion of American households headed by people living alone virtually doubled from about 16% to about 30%, notes Elena Portacolone, professor at the Institute for Health & Aging at the University of California, San Francisco.
According to AARP, 10% of adults 50 and over live alone and don’t have significant others or children. Another 24% have children who would not provide care.
The top concerns of solo agers, according to AARP, are: losing independence or having to rely on others; not having enough money; and being alone without family or friends around.
But for all their worries, solo agers are generally happy with their lives. According to AARP, 49% of solo agers are optimistic (about 10% less than the general 50-plus population) while 25% are pessimistic.
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