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I myself am somewhat a hermit. I have children who don't live in my area. I am very much a home body who is most content reading and gardening. I require the input of very few people and am in fact most comfortable with my "social outreach" being online social media. Here and Facebook gives me the only dose of "humanity" I really require during my day.
I do travel to see my daughter, enjoy getting out and walking, going to the library. But otherwise my life is quite quiet, and that's exactly how I like it.
So I think the question really is her safety. Sounds to me like she may be perfectly content. I don't hear complaints. Are there any?
What may seem a bonsai to you, to another may seem just lovely.
Why would you want to expand the world of someone who is content?
Lots of older people like what's familiar because it's safe and easy. Re-reading books takes less brain power than following a new plot, and the same goes for watching TV shows in reruns. (My folks could have recited entire episodes of The Big Bang Theory verbatim, I'm sure.)
For some, like my mom, a small, self-contained existence is exactly what they want. My dad was the opposite and always wanted to try new things. As my mother's health declined, he once said to me, "My world has become so small." It was heartbreaking, because my mom's abilities were what defined the size of my dad's world.
I think you should confined your expansion of your charge's world to bringing a coffee table book with you that she might look through, or some music she might like. You won't make huge inroads, but a little variety might brighten her day and get the subject off herself. Better yet, ask her to tell you about her early years and write down her memoirs for her.
And you are right in that perhaps there if no involvement of the family because of her self-absorption.
I will share that my mother was like that when she lived "independently" in her condo. I was the only local sibling -- my 3 brothers lived out of state. I saw what was happening, but she could showtime enough on phone calls that it took a long time for them to see what was really happening, since they came only infrequently.
I tried to widen her bubble for a while, but she adamantly refused any suggestions. So I just gave up. There is only so much one person can do.
Hearing loss - sometimes this provents a proper two-way conversation. A monologue is left.
Anxiety - kind of overexcited, sped up, talking over you style.
Either of these fit at all?
Certainly a shrinking social world does increase dementia risk - but is just one factor.
I suppose tactfully asking if she is lonely..? Does she *want* to be living in her 'bubble'? Or would prefer to see more people?