Making and maintaining friendships as a senior

How do you make friends as a senior in Calgary?

Better question: how do you make friends as a senior, anywhere?

As we age, making or maintaining friendships gets harder and harder. It’s different compared to when we were school-aged. Seems like back then, making a new friend was as easy as saying hello.

It gets harder with age and experience: the general busy nature of life takes over. Plus, a lot of people feel more closely guarded about themselves. There’s enough cynicism or pessimism to fill a glass half-empty.

But friends are important, for folks of any age but especially for seniors.

We know that people with close friendships live longer, they have better support systems and are better equipped at fighting isolation and the stressors of life.

But most of all: friends just make us happy! It’s nice to be able to share our life with others.

How do you make friends as a senior in Calgary? Well first, you have to find them!

There are plenty of clubs and organizations for like-minded people of your own age and interests. If you like traveling, pickleball, knitting, gardening: anything! Finding an activity with folks in your own demographic is the first step.

Unison, for Generations 50+, always has tons going on. Check out our website for more information and to find an activity that you’re interested in.

If you’re looking to meet new people while also making a difference in your community, there’s nothing better than volunteering! Plenty of non-profits and charities are always looking for folks to fill out their rosters: us included!

Finally, it can be difficult to meet new people when you’re working on yourself or working through difficult personal problems. You might be dealing with grief, the loss of a loved one, or many more things. This can make getting back out into the world a lot harder.

Our Wellness Connection Centre has plenty of programming aimed at bringing people together and supporting them through all sorts of emotional or spiritual issues. It might be exactly what you’re looking for!

After you’ve found people and made friends with them, it’s important to maintain those friendships.

Planning out your calendar should include making specific time for the people in your life. Those relationships are like a plant: they need attention to grow.

Whether it’s a coffee date or even a social phone call, consistent and scheduled time for the people in your life is important! It will bring you closer to one another and ensure that what you’ve started, persists into the future for a long time.

Friends are precious, important things: and it’s vital we keep them in our lives for as long as they’ll have us.