Going back 50 years you would have found that the majority of those that were alone when they reached retirement; was usually because their spouse had passed away. Come back to the present and you will find the number of singles over 50 is extremely high, largely due to the escalating divorce rate that didn’t exist especially in this age group years ago. Add to this the growing numbers of people that have never married as well as those that have become widowed, and you find an extremely large number of single seniors.
With so many singles over 50 it’s not surprising that a large amount of them really want to find a new relationship. It could be for friendship, companionship, dating, long term or marriage. The main thing is we all need other people in our lives for company as well for our wellbeing whether we admit to it or not.
Those that chose to be and remain single are very likely to have an established lifestyle as a senior single, and other than finding that their financial situation may change when they retire; their lifestyle may not be too different to what it’s always been. But for those that had been in long term relationships or married for 20 or 30 years and more, finding themselves a senior and single is a huge adjustment to face.
When divorcing after the age of 50 many discovered that once they divide their assets, they are in a more vulnerable situation, usually one that they never expected. Naturally when you first married you assumed that you would probably be spending your retirement with your spouse and that you would be enjoying the fruits of your labour as a couple.
For a large number of the suddenly single they find their financial circumstances of some concern. This is often even more so for the women that focused more on their family than career. While splitting up has its challenges there are also the benefits to consider, particularly if you’ve been in a stressful marriage that has caused a lot of unhappiness and negativity. Once they are out of the bad situation and are single again, many find other opportunities come their way and they discover a new outlook on life. Some seniors go on to new things and become successful in a new project or business.
If you are one of the many looking for a relationship you need to know what type of relationship you actually want and how you are going to increase your odds of meeting someone new. Some find their ideal partner when least expected.
Of course you want to meet someone that is compatible, so a great way to meet someone that shares the same or similar interests is by getting involved with groups or going to places where you will meet like minded people. If you like to sing join a choir. If you enjoy golf you may meet someone at the golf course, if you think your golf swing is a bit rusty you may want to take some lessons with a golf pro, or consider getting yourself a golf swing trainer like the medicus driver to improve your swing.
There are the community centers that offer courses like cooking or learning a new language. There are gardening clubs where you can learn about many aspects of gardening, landscaping, adding fountains and water features to your home. There’s also the popular www.meetup.com they have meet ups for just about any type of interest and topic that you could think of, and probably right in your home town. Some people go on learning vacations where there are a group of people taking lessons together on various hobby interests like art where they can learn and master painting. Others like to go on tours to places of interest.
Then there is the internet dating sites. Many people of all ages are on these sites hoping to find their perfect mate. If you go this route you have to be very careful. Do not give any personal information away. Don’t get carried away because someone tells you how wonderful you look and sound, if they are overly complimentary toward you- beware! There are a lot of scammers as well as genuine people on these dating sites and never, ever, part with any money no matter how sad a story they give you. A common story is that they have lost their money, credit cards etc or got beaten up and had them stolen. Even if you have been communicating for a while these scammers know what they are doing. They try to win you over and when they think they have you hooked they pounce. Just beware and be vigilant, read between the lines and stay safe.
Author Bio: Shirley is a mother and grandmother living in Vancouver Canada. She has trained as a life coach, NLP, and Solution focused counselling. She has worked with soon to be retirees and young families in her community for a number of years. Shirley also has a website for the over 50s http://www.lifebydesignover50.com
