Nowadays researchers have a classification for every age group from the very young to the very old. As us baby boomers move into our mid-sixties, reaching that elite group of senior citizens often brings a new classification into our personal lives – we are now either classified as young seniors or old seniors depending on the person’s age.
As most single, widowed or divorced seniors know, with growing old comes loneliness. Because invariably the children have grown and left home and divorce or death has left the person alone. The dating concept soon begins to surface because let’s face it no one wants to live alone!
There is nothing wrong with dating and even finding true love in the latter portion of your life. Every one of us needs a companion to share life with and no one really wants to spend their days just watching television and living out their lives without any real zeal.
Online dating services have become an extremely popular way for the younger generation to meet people and form relationships. As a growing number of us older folks are now very familiar with computers and we have more time to spend online it’s natural that this concept has extended to seniors as well, quickly becoming a favorite method for finding a date.
There are dangers to online dating for the simple reason you don’t really know who you are dealing with and the person could very well turn out to be an axe murderer! An exaggeration maybe, but the danger is no exaggeration because seniors are considered fair game, as are other age groups, especially teens. There are several honest online dating services, but for every honest service provider you could probably find ten dishonest ones with your eyes shut!
Here are some useful tips for seniors who wish to try online dating:
Rule number one is never give out personal information over the internet. That means no address or telephone numbers. Do not even give a vague description of where you live; there could be a problem if the person is unscrupulous. Give yourself a screen name and offer some pleasant, but fictitious, information and get started searching for a date! Once you know for sure the person is safe, you can begin to share more personal information – but be very wary!
Apart from the danger of dating strangers via the internet there is also the danger of giving out your personal information to free dating service sites. These are businesses and in order to host their sites companies need to make money. Sites that claim to be free have got to be scamming for something so it is best to avoid them.
When you are serious about finding a partner you need to pay a membership fee and register with one or two really creditable sites. To find the good ones you can either go with recommendations from friends or do intensive online research.
In answer to our original question – is online dating safe for aging seniors – it is as safe and as dangerous as it is for any other age group. You just have to use due diligence in what site you are on and if you can get recommendations from people you know as to what sites are considered safe, all the better.
5 responses so far ↓
1 BettyLou Nelson // Mar 10, 2012 at 4:07 pm
So good to see an article written about the safety of Internet dating for seniors! Thank you for your concern for us and our well being. http://datingforseniorwomen.com/
2 Edie // Mar 16, 2012 at 5:43 am
BettyLou, although I’ve been single for a very long time I haven’t dated in quite a while – mostly just too busy with other family members. But, I do know there are men and women of a certain age, some much older than I am, that are really enjoying themselves. But, safety should always be a concern when meeting someone new, especially if they met online. Extreme caution should be first and foremost.
BTW, You have an interesting website – looks like you are enjoying yourself.
3 Spot // Apr 2, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Totally agree with what you said about due diligence. Really, there’s no such thing as “safe” or “not safe.” It is all a matter of degrees. With a little common sense, online dating is as safe as driving or many other daily activities.
4 Edie // Apr 4, 2012 at 3:22 am
You are right – it is all about common sense. Unfortunately, some people have issues such as loneliness and common sense goes out the window at the wrong time. Thanks for your comment!
5 Brian from medigapgroup.com // Jun 13, 2012 at 12:13 pm
I’m currently living with my Grandfather, who has been alone for 11 years now. Although I would love for him to find someone to spend the latter end of his life with just to make him happy, I don’t know if online dating is the direction that I want him to go in.
First off, I know that he wants nothing to do with computers. He still uses his typewriter, even though they don’t even sell the tools that he needs to fix it anymore.
Most importantly, I am afraid that he would come across someone that would want to take advantage of him financially. He recently received a phone call and someone told him that he had won a large sum of money. He didn’t realize in the beginning that it was a scam, but thankfully he did in time so that they didn’t get their hands on any money.
I do think that the precautions that you have listed are helpful and may help many senior citizens find love, but I just don’t think it is for my Grandpa. Thanks anyways for your information! As always, I love your blog.
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