Combating loneliness with senior speed dating
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
An Irvington health clinic is offering more than just primary care — it's hosting monthly speed dating events for seniors.
Why it matters: Finding love, sex and companionship later in life can be difficult for a lot of older adults.
- Research shows loneliness can be detrimental to health, more harmful than alcoholism, obesity or lack of physical activity and has the same effect on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
The big picture: More than half of adults 65 and older experience loneliness and when they do, their quality of life is significantly reduced, according to research from Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine scientists.
- Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory warning about the "epidemic of loneliness and social isolation."
Zoom in: Oak Street Health provides primary care for adults on Medicare, so nearly all of its patients are adults over the age of 65.
- "One of the things that we've noticed in our older adults is that loneliness and social isolation is a really big deal," said Maria Wilson, Oak Street's executive medical director. "The effects of it are quite impactful on their mental health, as well as their physical health."
- Several years ago, some of Oak Street's centers added speed dating to their regular calendar of events, alongside things like bingo, chair yoga and walking clubs.
"The goal is really to get people out and having conversations, socializing, laughing, talking, engaging with others," Wilson said.
- Wilson said the positive effects are two-fold: fostering relationships helps ease symptoms of depression and anxiety, which in turn leads to patients being more engaged in their health care.
State of play: Oak Street's Irvington clinic invited Axios to attend a senior speed dating event it held last week where a handful of women and two men — all over the age of 65 — gathered for conversation and the chance to make a connection.
What they're saying: "My granddaughter says I need a boo thang," said Donna Jackson, who is "over 70" years old and was recently at her third speed dating event for seniors.
What's a boo thang? "It's someone you go out with, have fun with and then you go home and they go home."
- "I had to look it up online to figure out what it was," she said.
Anita Minniss attends many of Oak Street's activities, including three speed dating sessions.
- She's not looking for a date, but said it was fun to get out and mingle with new people.
The other side: Sally Medina was new to speed dating. She said she's tried online dating without much luck.
- "I'm looking for a good man," she said. "It doesn't look like there are too many here."
How it works: Outreach manager KaRonna Smith facilitates the conversation with some initial questions about what the speed daters are looking for in a partner, the most adventurous thing they've ever done and the obstacles to dating at this stage of life.
- With fewer men than women, Smith guided everyone through more of an open, group conversation than a traditional speed dating event.
- Smith said it's been hard to get more men at the events. She thinks they may be intimidated by the label "speed dating."
Next time, they may bill it as a "social hour."