A new relationship can start even after 60. Seniors are increasingly dating online
Press Release - Prague - 2 July 2024
Holidays, water, bike - dating thrives more in summer than in the cold winter months. As many as a quarter of Czechs are dating online, and among seniors over 65, 6% of them are looking for this way to meet. They are not necessarily looking for partners, but often need someone to go for a walk or to a concert with. That is why the non-profit organisation Elpida is now offering an online dating service.
"Loneliness is the thing that bothers people in older age the most. Loneliness is a bigger problem than lack of finances or health problems," says sociologist Lucie Vidovičová. This can be confirmed by calls to the Senior Crisis Line, which is often used by seniors who have not spoken to anyone for several days.
Her words are confirmed by Ondřej Hlavín, lecturer and coordinator of e-learning from the Elpida Centre for Seniors. "What we perceive in general in our courses is that relationships are much more on the level of friendship. We talk about preventing loneliness. It's about having someone with whom I can share anything," he says.
That's why Elpida has expanded its e-learning platform for seniors to include a dating site where older people can easily find a soulmate. According to Behavio's data, the most prevalent way for people 65+ to meet is through a chance encounter at a bar or restaurant (12%). The same percentage of seniors meet through friends, and 9% meet at work. Online dating is also on the rise in this age group, with 6% of respondents having met this way. Across the population as a whole, the number of online introductions is 22%, with forty-somethings using it the most (23%).
Relationships 60+
What do relationships look like for seniors? How are they fulfilled in social facilities for the elderly? What does sexuality mean for older people? And where can older people meet today? A recent Old's Cool Elpida podcast answered these questions too . "It's important to remember that sexuality does not equal sex. It's a broad concept that includes relationships, communication, desires, passions, emotions," Lucie Šídová, director of Freya, an organisation that helps people with disabilities, seniors and elderly people live life to the fullest, says in the podcast.
A certain problem in finding a new match can be the fact that more women than men are interested in meeting. Even in the courses at Elpida, women clearly outnumber men. "Men can be found, for example, on IT or language courses, as the participation of women is clearly higher," says David Drvota from Elpida. In nursing homes it is similar, there are more women than men.
A presentation of the new dating service has already taken place at Elpida, where seniors had the opportunity to place their own adverts. "One of our clients wrote an advert. The senior sitting next to her asked if she could see what she wrote. She commented that she was actually looking for the same thing. Eventually they exchanged numbers and may have even found what they were looking for. They had no one to share their free time with, to go for a walk, to a concert," says Ondřej Hlavín.
Whatever seniors are looking for, they can now search for it on a new online dating site, which can be found here. You can see all the ads right there, a selection of which can be found below.
Links:
Dating for seniors on the e-learning platform Elbot
Elpida podcast: Relationships 60+. It's never too late for love and new friendships
Media Contact
Iveta Čížová ~ iveta.cizova@elpida.cz ~ +420 773 480 505
