A 55 and over Facebook group where friends are made

It’s not easy getting older: Joint pain, bad knees, trouble hearing — the kinds of problems that get more challenging when there’s no one in your life to help you out. Whether your family lives far away or you’ve made the choice to not have children, not everybody out there has access to a typical support system. One woman is hoping to change that.

Carol Marak, writer and editor for a website called SeniorCare.com, has built a community for childless or “unbefriended” adults to chat, share stories, and eventually become friends. And it’s all happening on Facebook.

The group is called Elder Orphans and is comprised of more than 6,000 men and women who are without a close family. While the rules to join are strict (“If you are a member and married, please bow out”) the group is meant to bring those together who have no one else to rely on. The need for the group came from Marak’s own experience caring for her parents and the notion that she might not have anyone to care for her if she were to get sick.

"After caring for my parents — Mom with congestive heart failure and Dad with Alzheimer's —I realized I have no one to care for me. No husband, children, or partner. That's why I launched the group," said Marak in an interview over — where else — Facebook messenger.

"There's close to 30 percent of the 65+ population who live at home alone with little to no help. They're isolated, have few social connections, and have difficulties getting to medical treatments. However isolation is our biggest issue and can be the most crippling. [Elder Orphans] aims to create a place for us to exchange knowledge and support."

Along with providing care, Elder Orphans addresses and tackles the more practical side of living alone and growing older: Sharing resources, renting spare rooms, even finding someone to drive you to the doctor’s office. Members are encouraged to share stories about how their days are going, changes in local transportation, or really anything that comes to mind.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Group admin Nancy Helgeson is a good friend of Marak and considers herself an "elder orphan" who's hoping to give older adults something to look forward to on a consistent basis.

"Many elders come into the group thinking they are very alone in their situation," said Helgeson.

"It is extremely supportive for people to find others who are over 55, without a partner/spouse and have no children. So we have formed to share experiences, get support, and to share information for our situation as we age."

Marak and Helgeson's aim is to get people to take these conversations offline so as to provide makeshift “adopted” families for this community of "orphans."

"[We] hope that there is connection with others in local areas so that face-to-face connection can happen," continued Helgeson. "That way the resource of having one another to lean on when needed can be there."

Marak's wish is that Elder Orphans grows and inspires connections in "every city in America and beyond."

Just another way that Facebook can bring people together.