“Even getting the word out to some of those folks is nearly impossible unless it’s one on one,” Summers said.

The Hot Springs County Senior Center in Thermopolis, the seat of Wyoming’s most senior county, serves a critical civic function with a client base that is countywide. Many older adults who come in for the first time are often greeted by familiar faces once they come in, said Trenda Moore, the center’s director, and once they see what the place has to offer, they often come back.

“If you can get them in here, you’re friendly and glad to see them and let them know what we can do for them, then they’re more likely to come back,” she explained. “But that’s a hard nut to crack. You’ve got to earn their trust, and show them we don’t just serve you a hamburger; we take care of you.”

When isolation is so ingrained in the identity of a place, tracking down and identifying those in need of help is often the most difficult piece of the equation. While programs like Meals on Wheels can provide a point of contact to the outside world for many people, a lack of resources and an abundance of demand make those programs insufficient to address loneliness on their own.

The biggest barrier, Summers said, is trust — something not easily earned by strangers.