It is not at all uncommon for a person to enter the last few years of life alone, either widowed or divorced or never married. And there's a subset in there, of people who have no children, or family is either distant or estranged. One tag for this group is "solo ager."
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Southern Oregon University offers a course in its spring catalog on "Planning as a Solo Ager," with tips and details on recommended documents and contacts and procedures for someone heading into the home stretch of life solo. Ellen Waldman is one of the instructors, and our guest on the JX.