The Village Voice Oct /Nov 2019

OLDER LIFE
DOESN’T
HAVE TO BE
LONELY
Now we are all living longer, it is a sad fact of
life that many of us are going to lose our life
partners, and have to consider facing a
future living alone. Or it might be that being
single was a choice during our working lives,
but we now feel isolated. For many people,
family and friends strive to fill the gap, but
what if you have reached the point where
you would appreciate the company of one
special person? Maybe you’d like one
person to talk to, share a meal with, or join
you for a holiday. How do you go about
meeting someone new? The younger
generation use the internet, but our
generation might find that tricky, and of
course it can be risky.
So how can we meet new people in later
life?
and it’s easy to meet people there. Many
people who have been bereaved find great
support from The Coates Centre at Oakhaven
Hospice. There are informal groups that have
arisen out of bereavement groups where
people continue to support each other and
arrange social gatherings. South Lawn Hotel
noticed recently that some single people,
mostly men, were booking for Sunday lunch.
Some of these are widowers who had dined
frequently there with their wives. They now
ask people who book for one if they would
like to join a shared table. It’s proved very
popular, and sometimes they start a second
table. Another great way to make new
friends and relationships is through
volunteering. The opportunities are too
numerous to list, but many of them are
mentioned elsewhere in The Village Voice.
We are lucky in the Milford on Sea area that
there are already opportunities for people to
make new friends. The U3A is one of the
organisations for those of us who are retired.
It has well over 350 members in the local
area. It has lots of different interest groups,
where people who are on their own can feel
comfortable. As well as groups that learn
together, there are social groups who go out
for meals or to the theatre. Milford also
boasts numerous clubs and organisations in
every subject you can think of from Bridge,
to Bowls to Birdwatching. There is certainly
something for everyone!
The Community Centre has all sorts of
entertainment, as well as clubs and classes,
Perhaps you’ve tried some of these
suggestions and have made new friends, but
what you would like is a more direct
approach. One idea would be to hold regular
coffee mornings for older people on their
own who want to find companionship and
friendship in a safe environment. It would
only need a few people to set it up and there
are lots of possible venues. If you would like
to take part, contact The Village Voice
(info@lymingtondirectory.co.uk/ 01590
643969), and we will put you in touch with
each other.
So much research shows that we are
healthier if we are socially active.
Older life doesn’t have to be lonely.
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