Ten ways to keep a parent part of the neighbourhood

Isolation creeps in quietly: a missed appointment, a friend who stops calling, a front step that feels too steep. These ten habits push back.

• Keep one standing weekly outing — a market, a service, a café — and protect it.
• Put the neighbours' names and numbers on the fridge.
• Let the caregiver walk the block with them; people say hello.
• Say yes to the small invitations before the big ones stop coming.
• Make the front door easy: light, handrail, a bench.
• Keep a calendar visible in the kitchen, in large print.
• Ask the pharmacy and hairdresser to keep the same appointment slot.
• Bring the outside in: a paper, a radio, a bird feeder by the window.
• Invite one person for tea each week — it can be the same person.
• Talk about what they used to do, then find one small version of it.