U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., have introduced the Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults Act, legislation to combat loneliness in our senior and disabled populations by providing $62.5 million in annual grant funding to support community-based organizations dedicated to fostering social connection in these at-risk groups.

Government has long looked to address social needs in underserved populations as far as food, clothing, and shelter goes. We’ve stretched that over the years to include every real or conceived social malady for every real or conceived special group of people.

And it’s true that many of our elderly population do suffer from social isolation and loneliness, as do some of our disabled neighbors. But whose responsibility is it to allay those ills, and can government programs really do the job simply with more money? There are already many........

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