[asphaltgambler]

^^ Interesting, a personal point of view as to why.^^

Off topic to the OP, but relevant to the discussion. Our next door neighbor was recently widowed when we moved in Spring 2016. At the time we knew something was wrong because the outside of the house was in dilapidated shape, the grass not cut, stuff laying around everywhere that you could tell had been there for a while. We never saw anyone outside, but a single car would move once in a while. A few times over the next 2 years I would go over there, knock on the door but no one would answer. I knew someone was home, their SUV was parked out front. The next Thanksgiving I took some food over before we sat down to eat dinner, but the front gate was now locked and I could not drive up to the house which is on @ 2 acres.

@2years later in the Spring we had high winds come through and it blew down @75' of her stockade style fence back onto her property which now gave gave us the real view of the back of her house, which was worse than we thought. After that storm we were standing at that part of the fence cleaning up the crap on our side and she comes walking up with her dog and introduced herself. She was same age as my wife, but looked easily 15/20 years older.

After some discussion she revealed her husband passed away 2-1/2 yeas earlier, very quickly from cancer. She basically just cashed in her chips, became a recluse, would not answer any phone calls, which resulted in her being fired from a really good job, deep depression, etc, etc.

We looked after her, my wife had her cell # and would keep tabs on her, help if she needed, that we offered constantly but she would never accept. She also had no family. Well, she ran out of money about the time we moved in, and unbeknownst to us, lived w/o A/C, heat, stove, hot water or microwave. The only modern amenities still operating was........ running water.

She revealed this to us as she was preparing to sell her house which was mins from going to foreclosure late winter this year. She finally accepted our help to assist her move on the last day, the 11th hour where she had to vacate. When walked inside, it was beyond anything I had ever seen in person. Trash, food, dishes everywhere, bugs, stench and a literal path through all that from the side door to the upstairs. The stove had all the knobs and 2 heating elements missing, ........just crazy.

Ultimately she claimed bankruptcy through that, worked with an attorney and managed to walk away with a little cash in her pocket from the sale, and began a new life in an apartment close by.