When Mom Starts Dating, Here’s What to Expect
According to the Pew Research Center, 49 percent of women over 65 are single. Does that mean they are living like nuns? Not necessarily.
Many children are surprised, if not shocked, to learn that their senior parents still yearn for romance. Mom may have had a happy, fulfilling marriage. Or she may have had an ugly divorce in her fifties.
Maybe you think she has given up on love. That doesn’t mean she has.
Older girls just want to have fun
Home Care Pineville, NC: Seniors and Dating
Just because your mother or grandmother has started dating again does not mean she’s heading down the church aisle any time soon. A study of older women in Canada showed that 72 percent of them wanted to stay single. Studies in the United States also show that single older women wish to stay single while men over 65 often wish to remarry.
Your mother may want to have casual sex or a long-term relationship with someone who she does not marry or move in with. Women who are not planning to have more children may want simpler relationships where they don’t get stuck with more than their share of cleaning and cooking.
Another thing adult children must accept is that there are a number of websites designed specifically for dating seniors who wish to meet each other. This basically means that any one of any age who wants to start dating again, can do so.
Dating is a good sign
If your mother or grandmother has started dating again, it is likely to be a good thing. No one wants to be lonely, and loneliness in seniors often leads to heart disease, obesity, dementia, and other health issues. Seniors who stay socially engaged are more likely to be healthy and happy.
When caregivers are concerned about their mother’s dating choices, they should ask to meet her new friend. Organize a small social gathering in which the new companion meets the family.
Home care workers can also be your eyes and ears on a new relationship. While caregivers don’t want to spy on mom, the knowledge that a home care professional is dropping on her a few days a week can assure you that she is safe and comfortable in her social life.
For a parent who is still driving and doing activities out of the house, occasional home care service, for five to ten hours a week may be exactly what your elderly parent needs. Someone to do the heavy lifting, especially bringing in and unloading the groceries and heavy housework, may be exactly what your mother needs to become socially active again.
If you or an aging loved one are considering in home care in Pineville, NC, please call the professional staff at Caring at Heart today at (704) 379-7510. Serving Charlotte, Statesville, Ballantyne, Mooresville, Huntersville, Matthews, Concord, Gastonia, Pineville and Indian Trail
Sources
https://time.com/5541166/loneliness-old-age/
https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2020/08/20/a-profile-of-single-americans/
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2019001/article/00003-eng.htm
Knowing in her heart that families deserved better, she started Caring At Heart in 2008 with two key goals in mind: To provide clients and their families with an experience that was personable, easy, and reassuring and to create a working environment that employees were excited and proud to be a part of.
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