The tragic disappearance of 84‑year‑old Nancy Guthrie, who by all accounts was a socially active senior, is being used to highlight the growing epidemic of loneliness among older adults and to emphasize the importance of structured social connections for health and community resilience.
In a recent article in the Arizona Republic newspaper, the reporter writes that when Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, went missing earlier this year, it was a friend expecting her company who first sounded the alarm.
In the six months since Guthrie’s mysterious abduction, a portrait has emerged of a woman who was highly social and well-connected, even in older age. By all accounts, she was happy, and those who knew her described her as sharp and witty, according to the article.
“She was kind of the model of how to be engaged and connected during retirement,” the article notes, quoting Frank Infurna, psychology professor at Arizona State University.
“It definitely seems like she was on the end of the spectrum that’s quite social; that she really did have many activities,” said Emily Nabors, associate director of innovation and a gerontologist at the National Council on Aging. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report titled: “Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation.” It was 82 pages of why social connection matters and how the nation could, and should, improve it, according to the story.
Experts say social disconnection is tied to depression, cognitive decline and dementia, according to the article.
As the nation grapples with a rapidly aging population that experts believe will increase loneliness, experts say Guthrie’s abduction underscores the importance of making social connection a collective priority, not just an individual one, the article notes. “When we embed social connection into the places we live, work, learn and gather, we strengthen collective resilience, improve our ability to respond during emergencies, and come together during times of crisis,” said Jillian Racoosin, executive director of the Foundation for Social Connection and a contributor to the 2023 U.S. Surgeon General report.
She added, “Tragedy will sadly still happen from time to time, but connected communities have stronger foundations for supporting one another through life’s most difficult moments.”
Two days before she was taken, the article states that Guthrie was around a table with friends playing Mahjong, a strategy game with more than 100 tiles, where players work to build winning hands. Guthrie was known for her competitiveness, but also for teaching younger women to play, according to the article.
She also attended monthly book club meetings that she apparently never missed, according to reports from the New York Times. She loved Bible study, and friends said she had an acute ability to connect lessons from the gospel to everyday life.
These activities are important because they serve as a safeguard, said Nabors with the National Council on Aging.
“A buddy system with neighbors,” Nabors offered as an example. “Say you have a system where you open your curtains every morning and you didn’t do that, your neighbor would check up on you. Kind of similar to what had happened with Nancy Guthrie when she didn’t show up (for church) and that raised the alarm or indicated that something was really wrong.”The sorts of activities Guthrie engaged in also foster social connection and improve health, Racoosin said. Yet, she added, “some of the drivers of disconnection in our country have been a lot of the dissolution of those structures. People are less likely to go to religious services or to places of worship. They’re less likely to be part of clubs and groups.”
The 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s report showed the average person spent 24 more hours alone each month in 2020 than 2003. Household family social engagement declined five hours per month. The amount of time spent on social engagements with friends went down 20 hours per month.
People also are less involved in faith organizations, the report says: from 70% in 1999 to 47% in 2020.
Yet, “religious or faith-based groups can be a source for regular social contact, serve as a community of support, provide meaning and purpose, create a sense of belonging around shared values and beliefs, and are associated with reduced risk-taking behaviors,” the report says.
Similar statistics were reported in a 2025 American Time Use Survey, which found people spending less time socializing and more time playing video games or using social media.
These trends appear to acutely affect younger people A 2025 report from Pew Research Center found adults under 50 were more likely than older adults to feel lonely.
But experts say loneliness and isolation don’t just result from individual choices, but rather societal conditions, the article notes.
Leaders at Pima County’s Council on Aging have noted the area is a hot spot for older retirees. U.S. Census Bureau counts say roughly a quarter of the area’s population is 65 or older.
Because many leave behind family and social support in other states to retire in southern Arizona, the aging council functions in-part to provide or facilitate programs to alleviate loneliness. Some of that programming includes the Meals on Wheels program, which in addition to providing food to the public also serves as a vehicle for social interaction.
“We have become, in a very real sense, communities where the garage door is the front door, and many come and go without ever seeing neighbors, except through the car window,” former Pima Council on Aging CEO Dr. W. Mark Clark told federal lawmakers,, according to the article.
Experts stressed engaging in activities that provide purpose and build meaningful connection; volunteering at a food bank or tutoring children was repeatedly recommended. Nabors suggested sites that offer congregate meals, walking clubs, intergenerational mentorship programs and support groups for caregivers or those suffering from loss. Musical theatre and the arts can help with mental stimulation, she added.
Infurna said sometimes the biggest thing an individual can do is simply reach out and diligently pursue connection.
Whether it being joining a club or making friends with the parents of your kid’s friends, “I think a big part of it you have to kind of seek out your connection and relationships,” he said. It will look different for different people, with some needing more interaction than others to “fill your cup,” he said.
As more individuals pursue connection, experts believe the benefits will be far-reaching, the article states.
“Social connection is vital not only for our individual health, but also community and societal health,” Racoosin said.
Referencing Guthrie, she said, “I think a lot of the practices that she was embedding in her life was setting her up for a very successful, high-quality way of living,” Racoosin said.
