My paternal grandmother was a recluse, went nowhere, saw no one and did nothing. She was not in her right mind for the last 15 years of her life but lived to 94 in a nursing home where she refused to sit with any other residents.
My mother was a darling, after my father died she did so much, went on a tour to the Holy Land with her church at the age of 74 (never been on a plane or out of this country before), joined social groups, had neighbours in for coffee, visited the sick, totally involved with her grandchildren, came on numerous holidays with us, did cryptic crosswords, walked, cycled and was rational and lucid until the day she died from cancer aged 82.
I fight hard not to be like my grandmother and would dearly like to be more like my mother. It is a daily battle but I do try, however genetics make it very hard.