Why is it that old people seem to feel so lonely? It’s the same everywhere I’ve been.

Are they truly lonely -perhaps forgotten or neglected by their friends and family- or is it simply a probable mental state?

A natural dose of melancholy and sadness setting in when the time comes to reflect on one’s life lived, and the sudden realization of mortality?

Is that what makes humans reach out for young people around them and cling on to the precious time a family visit lasts?