In the age of social media, there are all kinds of people we call friends. But how many of those friends would come to your aid if you were in need?
That's the question Val Walker confronted when living along and recovering from surgery. She tells her story, and those of many people in similar situations, in her book 400 Friends and No One to Call: Breaking through Isolation and Building Community. As the subtitle suggests, some remedies are offered in this chat with the author. She takes the current "social distancing" isolation into her suggestions for connecting with people.
And there's this, for crisis situations: Disaster Distress Helpline, 800-985-5990.