Isolation

There was a very sad story in our local news today. The report was of a young single mother found dead in her apartment along with her 2 month old child. The mother died of natural causes, as did, apparently, the infant. The two had last been seen a few weeks ago at a family gathering. The mother was on maternity leave, so no employer reported her absence. She didn't respond to family calls, but individual family members didn't connect their multiple missed attempts to contact her.

So, it makes me think, who would notice if I went missing? Of course, in my situation, many people would notice. But, for how many people is an absence of a week or two simply not something worth noting? In the summer or winter we often hear public health officials asking us to check on elderly neighbors or those living alone. In times of natural disasters or extreme weather we might be more conscious of the activities of our friends, family and neighbors. But, in the spring? How long could we overlook the absence of a neighbor? the lack of contact with a family member? when would an absence be cause of concern?