Of all the woes that beset seniors, social isolation and loneliness are rapidly climbing the charts as growing concerns. Consider this: Elders who are mostly isolated from human interaction have a 26 percent higher death risk than their more social peers.

It’s not surprising, then, that social isolation is gaining recognition as a real health issue for seniors. One quarter of all American households are comprised of people who live alone, and the number of Americans who said they have no ...