'Solo agers' are a growing group. Changes that would help them could help everyone
Page 1/13

By Ashley Milne-Tyte

Thursday, July 9, 2026 • 11:58 AM EDT

Stay up to date with our Up First newsletter, sent every weekday morning.

Ailene Gerhardt hears a lot of stories. It's all part of her job. She's a patient advocate, helping people navigate their care and the complexities of the healthcare system. During the last several years she's heard from more and more people getting older without adult children, a spouse, or both. But the healthcare system remains stuck in the past, she says, assuming older people have family to support them, when that's often not the case.

Gerhardt started and runs a network called Navigating Solo , which offers support and community to this group of older adults, often referred to as "solo agers."

"Instead of looking at the concept of solo aging as something that's a crisis to be solved — it's not a crisis to be solved," she says. "It's a reality to be supported."

Next
Back to headlines
News menu
Home