The coronavirus pandemic can be especially difficult for older adults who live alone. To help support them, some American communities and groups have set up services aimed at meeting their needs for human contact and small talk. The city of Plano, Texas offers such a program. A group of about 15 city government workers reach out to Plano’s elderly individuals by telephone. Now, some residents look forward to getting phone calls from total strangers. The idea of getting calls from a stranger - just to chat - was immediately appealing to 81-year-old Dell Kaplan. “It gets pretty lonely here by yourself,” she told The Associated Press. Older individuals are more likely than other age groups to get infected with and die from COVID-19, the disease resulting from the coronavirus. Because of this, health officials have urged people over 65 to keep staying home even as some areas begin lifting restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.