A retired nurse drives long roads to reach isolated seniors

A North Dakota program is matching neighbors to isolated seniors across 12 rural counties, some so sparsely settled they are classified as "frontier," meaning six or fewer people per square mile. Aging in Community, directed by gerontology specialist Jane Strommen at North Dakota State University Extension, takes what is already there and organizes it. "People are good, and they want to help their fellow neighbor," Strommen said. "Sometimes that just takes a little bit of organizing." Kyla Sanders, a retired nurse and one of four regional coordinators, drives long rural roads fixing stopped wristwatches and filing tax returns. She recently brought 98-year-old Mae Buchli a calendar Buchli can hear rather than see. "Oh, is that ever neat!" Buchli said. The program has run five years, and clients report higher quality of life and more confidence at home. Buchli, for her part, is not moving. "We want to stay home," she said.