to find this utterly utterly appauling and heart breaking..

[chickchickchickee]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206094/The-real-life-Eleanor-Rigby-Care-home-appeals-funeral-guest s-woman-84-died-alone.html

What a horrible situation

How sad. Unfortunately, with no children or other half, many people end up like this. At my great aunts funeral about 20 yrs ago there were only 4 of us- she had no inmmediate family and all her friends had died.

How sad

it happens more than you think.

My great aunt was 98 when she died, and had watched her friends die off one by one, she was the last one left. She'd never married (her fiance was killed in WWI, no one matched up to him ) My Dad was the only one of her nephews & nieces who bothered with her, so there were 3 of us at the funeral, DF, DB & me (my DM had already died) Very sad, she was such a lovely lady If my DF hadn't bothered to keep visiting her over the years, then she'd have been all alone too. (She was his favourite auntie from childhood)

Riven, that's it exactly. No point worrying about the funeral, she won't know or care how many are there

This is very sad and brings a lump to the throat - but I work with older people and I do see that there can be as Betsy says, a natural progression for very old people where there friends die or become housebound; and if you have no family either, you are going to be alone. It's got to be faced. Not every one has people. I think it's a good thing that she was able to live in a safe and clearly caring environment and had contact daily with people who will have taken care of her needs. I mean yes, loving family and friends would be better but there is no guarantee of that for any of us when we're old.

their friends, not there friends - oops