Online dating has grown in popularity among all age groups in recent years, including among seniors. In fact, Pew Research from found that among Americans age 50 to 64, one out of five 20 percent have used an online dating site or app. For those age 65 and up, 13 percent have tried online dating. There are even dating websites and apps designed specifically for older people like Howaboutwe. In that year, just 6 percent of those age 50 to 64 had tried online dating, and a mere 3 percent of those 65 and up had.
A word of caution: One of the undesirable results of the rise in online dating is the increase in online dating scams โ something that adults of any age should be aware of when connecting online. A cautionary story out of Georgia last week highlighted how these criminal Casanovas operate: typically targeting older women who are recently divorced or widowed and convincing them to send them anywhere from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands. If you are using an online dating website or app, always operate with a healthy amount of skepticism, particularly if your new connection refuses to talk on the phone or video chat.
Options like meeting a prospective partner through hobbies or volunteering, at religious gatherings, or though friends have been successful for centuries! Living in a senior living community, such as a continuing care retirement community CCRC, or life plan community , also can make it easier to meet someone with shared interests who is at a similar place in life. Some communities even facilitate such meetings, hosting happy hours, dances, and other programs designed to get single seniors socializing with each other.
There was an eye-opening article in the San Clemente Times a few weeks ago about dating after It highlighted a common refrain from those who are single during their retirement years. While many seniors crave the companionship of a relationship, they have other priorities for their time like grandkids, friends, hobbies, or volunteerism.
It is a rather intriguing phenomenon. In a lot of these instances, the seniors might be widows or divorcees who have learned that living alone can have its perks. They are not willing to devote their life and perhaps more importantly, their time, to another person. Thus, casual dating relationships, where you see one another a few times a week, may be growing increasingly popular among some retirees. While some people are only looking for a part-time relationship as they grow older, later-in-life partnerships and marriages are still thriving among seniors.
