Experts said living alone and being socially isolated are not the same thing. Seniors living on their own can have fulfilling lives, while seniors living with family can feel lonely as well. Ms Nancy Lim, 73, has lived alone for more than 20 years – and she loves it that way. "You can do whatever you want," said the retiree. "If you're staying with somebody else, you can't do what you want all the time." Ms Lim used to live with her father in a four-room flat in Serangoon before he died in 2003.