The ‘baby boom’ generation born since the Second World War is being described by social commentators as one of the loneliest generations. According to The Telegraph as many as one in three people over the age of 50 is suffering from loneliness. This is believed to be at least partly due to the rise in ‘silver splitters’ as people who divorce late in life are currently known.

Reasons why so many people find themselves alone

Divorce rates have been on the rise for a number of years, but it is no longer just the young who are finding themselves at the centre of a marital split. Apparently the number of people over the age of 50 who are getting divorced has doubled within the last 10 years, indicating that people who had intended to spend the rest of their lives together are having second thoughts.

The internet is held partly to blame as people hook up with old friends and even old flames from years gone by. Mobile devices such as smartphones and laptops have made it easier to find someone new, either accidentally or on purpose.

The constant supply of information that we can all now receive through so many television channels and the internet lead many people to believe that there is more fun to be had than previously thought, leading to broken marriages as people grab a second chance at reliving their youth.

The death of a partner obviously marks a very final end to a relationship and since women generally live longer than men it is usually the woman who is left alone.

It’s harder for women

Men tend to find it relatively easy to move on and make new friends, but women left alone struggle with loneliness and find it difficult to find new partners. Fear of becoming intimate with someone new can make the prospect of a new romance quite terrifying and many women believe, quite wrongly, that they will never meet anyone who can replace their lost partner.

For the older woman who finds herself alone it can be hard to know which way to turn. Traditional methods of meeting a life partner rarely seem suitable to people in this age group. No longer active in the workplace and unwilling to go for nights out alone, the older woman can quickly succumb to depression and feel that her life is over.

Happily, the internet is awash with dating sites of every type imaginable. Online dating is one of the fastest growing industries and companies are seizing the opportunity to source new markets. Internet sites such as senior dating cater exclusively to older people, creating a site aimed specifically for this demographic which enables like-minded individuals to connect, form friendships and even new relationships with perfect ease.

Because sites such as this cater specifically for senior people it makes it much easier for the older woman to find her perfect partner or friend without having to trawl through pages of unsuitable prospects. She will be connected to people who are in a similar situation and can jump start her life again on her own terms.