For those that seek social interactions: Have you ever..

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..considered visiting elderly people in retirement homes?

Seriously.

My grandmother lived her last couple years in a long term care home (she passed away last Thursday, April 5th 2018, at 96 years old) and I went up to visit her now and then and quite a lot recently since we knew she was sick and thought she might not recover again.

I remember when I went to visit on Thanksgiving, there were dozens of seniors quietly having their dinner and I was literally the ONLY friend or family member that went up to visit. I guess other people were busy with their own family dinners etc with kids at home and all that. I talked with my grandmother's table-mates a bit.

Each time I would go visit there would be a lot of heads turning from the open dining room.. curious who had a visitor, who this young man was etc. Sure, there would sometimes be other visitors there to see parents and grandparents.. especially on Thursday night pub nights, but for the most part, even though they never said so, I got the feeling that a LOT of these old people really longed for outside visitors and some sort of social interaction with younger people, or anyone who was different than the ones they saw every day.

Plus it's a well known fact that many of us on the spectrum get along well with old people, and they have the time and patience to listen to us ramble if we want to.

*shrug* Just a thought. Maybe something for some of you to consider who might not have anyone to simply hangout with and have a conversation, play a game of cards, share a story or a laugh. There are countless senior citizens hanging out playing solitaire and watching TV who might just appreciate your company.

I prefer to join clubs, but yes, I have visited old peoples' homes in the past and it was enjoyable.
A group of us also used to go and sing at a nursing home.
The residents seemed overjoyed by it, even though we were probably terrible.
They didn't care, they were just happy to have a distraction from what must be terrible boredom.

People have suggested I visit and chat with elderly people in homes, but I'm worried it would be depressing or upsetting to see older people with dementia and other diseases who can no longer take care of themselves.

I'm like, what's the point of living long if your body and mind just deteriorates? Hopefully this won't be for a ling time yet, but If I ever get too weak and feeble to live on my own I'd rather die since it was like yanking out teeth just to get the freedom and independence most people my age take for granted.

My parents invited my grandmother over on holidays until about a year before she died. She was no longer well enough to come visit us, but my mom and my aunts would visit her regularly. My grandfather had dementia and died about a couple of years before that. If my mother ever develops dementia or some other terminal illness I think it will be like knives going through my heart.

Long term care facilities aren't the same as a hospice. People there might not be able to cook safely & clean for themselves anymore, but they're far from dead! Many can walk around just fine, some use walkers or wheelchairs.

You could always inquire about which night is their social night, like my grandmother's home has Pub Night on Thursday evenings for an hour. They often have someone in to play music/sing, and they do serve beer/wine etc. They're just old people.. the ones who are not well enough to hangout and have a conversation typically remain in their rooms/beds resting.

I never found it depressing. Like Raleigh said, they welcome visitors.. even terrible singers!

I love old people, they are sweethearts, including dementia patients. But the only thing is, is the majority of old people are hard of hearing, and my stupid voice doesn't always get heard properly by deaf people, which makes interacting awkward.
I hate saying that about old people, because it's not their fault. It's my fault for having a low-pitched voice with an 'Essex accent', which is often hard to speak loud and clearly with.