Importance of New Social Contacts for Older People

By Anne Haris

As we’re getting older, our social circle is narrowing down. We also meet fewer people than we used to when we were younger. That’s the nature of things. Some people might work a lot, which reduces their time for socialization. Also, they need more rest than before. Sometimes you need take care both of your children and your parents. All these things can curb your networking and reduce your social skills.

However, this doesn’t have to be the case if you make a little effort to establish new social contacts. The best of it all is that you don’t even have to use social media for that purpose. Here’s what we suggest you could do

1 Joining a local club

We intentionally didn’t name the type of club you can join, because different people have different preferences. Many local communities have various clubs for pensioners, as well as for citizens in their 50s and 60s. These clubs organize daily and evening events for their members.

Your engagement in these clubs will depend on your status. If you’ve been recently retired and you’re trying to organize your day, joining a lunch club is a nice idea. Here people gather at lunchtime, have a meal together, hang out a bit, and then go home. Of course, everybody pays for their lunch. It’s a great option for a pensioner or an elderly working person who lives alone.

Further, there are local clubs of pensioners that charge a monthly membership fee, and use it to provide different events. You can play different board games, which is a beneficial activity for keeping your mind fresh.

Also, attending singing classes or joining a choir, if you can sing, is a perfect way to spend fun time with your peers and to travel a bit.

If you live in the USA, you could join AARP. That’s the largest US association of pensioners, which offers a wide array of activities for people of all kinds.

As you can see, various local clubs can help you establish new social contacts and stay in good mental shape.

2 Networking via traveling

Networking on the go is one of the best ways to make friends as you’re getting old. What’s more, this is even better when you’re retired, because you don’t think of the people you meet as potential leads for your business. You simply pack your suitcases and enrich your trip with all the new people you meet along the way.

If you use the Internet,you should also check out the websites that have smart offers for elderly tourists. They’ll take care of your travel insurance and various health services in accordance with your age. Also, they’ll find accommodation facilities that provide proper amenities for your activities and needs. When you choose travel packages tailor-made for your age, it’s highly likely that you’re going to meet some new people and boost your social life.

Moreover, it’s important to stay in touch with people you befriend during your travels. You can share your thoughts and experiences from those journeys with the people you met there through different communication tools, such as WhatsApp, Viber, or sheer email service. If you’re keen on using social media, it’s also a nice way to stay in contact with your newly established contacts.

Traveling can help people of all generations broaden their horizons and enrich their lives with new experiences. What’s more, visiting different places will give you a chance to get to know various people and make friends. All these benefits make traveling at old age an extremely useful method for keeping your mind in order.

Next time we conclude with ‘How to Stay Active as You’re Getting Older’……..

Author Bio

Anne Harris is an HR specialist working for londonlive-incare.com. She eagerly shares her knowledge with her audience on various blogs. When she isn’t writing or attending wellness conferences, she likes to pack her rucksack and ride her day away on her bike or spend time with her friends.

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