Pets are welcome at The Grandview, a new Erickson Senior Living community in Bethesda, Maryland. Many senior communities in the area are designed for meeting and greeting fellow residents.

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When Terri Garfinkel moved to Washington, D.C., from Ohio, she was navigating more than a relocation. Her husband, who had been diagnosed with dementia five years ago, had a few falls, and he required more care.

So, last August, Garfinkel and her husband moved into Inspīr Embassy Row, a luxury senior living community in Dupont Circle, near their daughter.

After her husband died last fall, Garfinkel suddenly faced a new reality: life alone in an unfamiliar city. She was quite healthy and could have lived independently. But after his passing, she chose to stay at Inspīr Embassy Row.

“The caregivers had become family to me,” she said. “They provided me with an opportunity to grieve and to mourn.”

For many older adults, the death of a spouse can dramatically reshape daily life, shrinking social circles and increasing the risk of loneliness.

According to the National Institutes of Health, loneliness affects approximately one in three older adults. It can impact our health, often increasing the risk of dementia by as much as 20% and causing greater likelihood of heart disease and stroke.

Those health risks are often compounded by major life transitions, including retirement and declining mobility.

A solution for loneliness

Senior living communities are increasingly positioning themselves as a response to the challenge of loneliness.

Will Nance, executive director at The Grandview Senior Living in Bethesda, Maryland, says senior living communities can offer a solution. Many older adults come to The Grandview after experiencing a loss: the death of a spouse, the passing of friends or increased distance from children. “People’s worlds have gotten much smaller,” Nance said.

For many residents, the move offers not just health support, but a chance to rebuild a social life. Nance said many residents forge new friendships soon after moving in, excited by the opportunity to “press restart and branch out again.”

Residents no longer need to get in the car to meet with a friend or play a card game — they simply walk down the hall.

“Their worlds open up,” Nance said.

The Grandview, which has roughly 300 residents, intentionally designs spaces that encourage socialization. Many common areas feature open floor plans so residents can easily gather.

The facility’s restaurant also sets aside a community table where residents can eat with new people. “You don’t have to admit you’re by yourself,” Nance said. “You just sit down.”

Residents Bruce and Margo Fonoroff are particular fans of the community table, which has helped them meet people and make friends.

The Fonoroffs moved into The Grandview in December 2025, a decision they said is one of the best ones they could have made.

“I can’t tell you how many friends we have now,” Margo Fonoroff said.

New neighborhoods

While The Grandview offers musical performances, exercise classes and art lessons, the sense of community extends beyond these organized activities.

Bruce Fonoroff frequently helps fellow residents with small repairs. “People will ask, ‘Can you help me with this?’ and he’s willing to help,” his wife said.

“It is essentially a neighborhood,” Bruce Fonoroff said.

With more than 100 residents, Inspīr Embassy Row also tries to cultivate a neighborhood-like environment. The facility hosts block parties on each floor, which general manager Amanda Glendinning said are consistently well attended. Staff also introduce residents to others with similar hobbies.

“We try to matchmake a bit with shared interests,” Glendinning explained.

Hearing loss equals isolation

Yet even in communities designed to foster connection, loneliness can persist. Sister Nelly, a resident at Sunrise Senior Living in Silver Spring, said the feeling is often hidden.

“Very few people will tell you, ‘I’m lonely’ or ‘I’m depressed,’” she said. “They will say, ‘Leave me alone.’”

Just the other day, Sister Nelly was having breakfast with two other residents, one who struggled with hearing loss and one with dementia.

“I asked, ‘How are you today?’ ‘What did you do today?’” she said. “No answer. I asked, ‘Are you okay, my friend?’ No answer. I was sitting among people who were really lonely.”

Hearing loss is a major driver of isolation, Nance pointed out. “They don’t want to ask people to repeat things over and over again,” he said.

As conversations become difficult to follow, some people begin withdrawing from social situations altogether.

Staying connected does not necessarily require moving into a retirement community. Senior centers, exercise classes and regular contact with friends can all help combat isolation.

>As for Garfinkel, the shock of being alone still feels fresh, since she married right out of college and spent her entire adult life with her husband. “After all these years, I’ve never been alone,” she said.

Yet she says she’s glad she decided to stay at Inspīr Embassy Row. She has immersed herself in the community’s activities, exercising in the saltwater pool almost daily, taking tai chi classes and participating in a Parkinson’s program.

“People think when you’re old, you just rot,” Garfinkel said. “The people at Embassy Row show me that it is an achievement to get older. It is not something to be sad about. It is something to celebrate.”