How to help elderly people struggling with loneliness

I read an article about how a lot of elderly people are getting depressed from feeling isolated from society. According to the article, more than 1 million people over 75 said they can go one whole month without talking to friends, family members, or a neighbour, which sounds so terrible! 

Getting old definitely makes you more vulnerable in many ways, but what are some things you can do for elderly people around you? Whether it's your grandmother or the old lady next door, I'm sure we can think of ways of making them feel seen and important. 

Let's share our best ideas :) 

In the little village where I live, I make an effort to greet everyone with a smile or to stop for a chat when walking my dog each day. It's fun, and I get to practice some Spanish on top of that. By now I made friends enough that my 84-year-old neighbour would come by and ask me to get her a new waterpot when I drive to town, or she would give me fresh plums from the garden which I would partially return to her the next day in the form of a cake.
I have also learned that people's bodies get old, but many of the older people I chat with a really cheeky and won't let an opportunity to pull my leg pass unused. ?

Related to that: Loneliness amongst older people was something I was aware of. A survey by BBC Radio 4 revealed that the age group most affected by loneliness are young people between 16 and 24!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2018/loneliest-age-group-radio-4

I live with an old Spanish old lady(76 years) who has 3 kids in the same city but she was totally alone when I decided to rent a room in her apartment . Eventually form a Tenant , Landlord relationship , it became a beautiful Mom , Son relationship. I started seeing her as my source of energy . Her love for me was unconditional and I was wondering how she maintains that energy with no family around her. She made friends with people on the streets and she got rid of her loneliness and sufferings by expressing love towards everyone.

Reading your comments fills my heart with joy,  so nice to hear your stories @AnandKoodali and @Tine

A few years ago I met this guy in England who created - a now global - movement to end loneliness of senior citizens. Check out these videos:

They now have more than 14.000 volunteers and also a few chapters here in Barcelona: https://cyclingwithoutage.org/

Loved this inspirational video brother. Let's all do our part to spread happiness ❤️