Reading the headlines..how isolated are we?

The headline read:
"Body mummified, but TV still on."

It is about a gentleman who was
found in his house, sitting in his chair,
with the television on in front of him.
They think he may have been there
for a year or more. As no one had
heard from him since Dec. 2005.

No one noticed the mail piling up.
Then it stopped. The electric was
still on. Which baffles the authorities.
(my take is, his SS money went in,
the electric bill was probably one of
several bills taken out automatically.)

What is sad, is that even though the
neighbors kind of watched over the
70 year old when he was walking
around, knowing of his health problems.
They never followed up, when he wasn't
visible. They had seen an ambulance come to
the house, and took it for granted he was
put in a nursing home. And it wasn't until
a water pipe burst and sent water over the
garage door, (it was a 2 story house with
home on top of the garage) that anyone
entered the house.

What is sad about this, is the neighbors
were concerned about the gentleman. But
never did think to find out what nursing home,
he might have gone to, so they could visit in
a years time. I guess the ambulance took him
away, but some one must have given him a
ride home after. And no one saw him again.

How isolated are we? Do we make calls to
friends? If we don't after while, do our friends,
think we are too busy? People hardly ever
write letters any more, so there isn't the
absent of the letters coming in. Senior men
aren't writers anyway. Unless they are computer
savvy

If you died, sitting in the front of your television,
would anyone know? If so, how long. If you are
married or have children, the chances are short time.
Hopefully, an elderly person has given neighbors their
children's phone number ...just in case.
.
But in our Northwest, we recently had a daughter
who has put out a bulletin of the where about of
her mother. Who she hasn't seen or heard from for
TWO YEARS. She, the daughter, said she has been
away for that long. No telephone calls? No, contact?
She didn't have a friend of her mother's, who was
someone she could ask, how her mother was?

Just how isolated are we in this society?