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Move over twentysomethings, Grandma is joining the dating scene.
Seniors are becoming a force to be reckoned with in online dating websites, singles dances and over-60 clubs.
Some are widowed, while others are breaking their wedding bonds in search of a second shot at love – or a new friend or two.
At a Mixed Singles Over Sixty social club on the Semiahmoo Peninsula, about 130 people come out to meet, mingle – and party with others in their twilight years.
The club offers different activities such as golfing, walking bridge, dinners, bus trips and theatrical performances.
Jessie Pears has made many new friends since she became a member of the club five years ago.
“There’s something for everybody,” she said.
In many cases, says the club’s Sue Rankin, this includes hooking up with a mate.
There are at least 10 couples “going steady” in the mixed singles seniors group.
But with women outnumbering men, the fight is on to catch the eye of newcomers when they arrive.
Rankin said many women are afraid to be alone, while the men, usually widowers, want someone to cook and clean for them.
“So many of these women who are alone now would die to get a guy because they are lonely,” she said.
Second marriages are becoming more common these days among older couples, who are healthier and more financially independent than they were decades ago.
One woman in her 80s recently broke up with her husband because she was tired of him spending all her money, Rankin said.
Phil Kasprow said the group is a good place to start over.
“Some people find it scary to bond again.”
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