Loneliness can get to be a habit, a rut one gets used to. A good way to break that habit is by keeping the mind active and engaged. A gift of extension classes at the local university or college will get the lonely person out of their shell and involved in a subject that they may have always been interested in, but never pursued. And of course it’s a terrific way to meet like-minded people—folks who are more interested in what you know than what you do.