Senior Tips for Making New Friends

When you turn fifty or sixty or certainly by seventy, you may think that you will never really have to think very much about making new friends again. After all you have friends that you have gathered over more than a half century. But then you discover that friends you have known for decades move away or you move away or both. All of a sudden the familiarity and the support of well seasoned friendships begin to vanish before your eyes. Once again you may find yourself faced with the task of making new friends. These senior tips for making new friends may help you to get you old skills back in gear and develop the friendships you need.

1. Recognize the importance of friendship It's very easy to take friendships for granted, right up until the moment when a friendship is lost. As we experience the void left by a friend who has moved away, we begin to see how very important friendship is in our lives. The presence of friends provides us with companionship, conversation, and caring.

Most of the things we enjoy, from playing cards to playing golf or even going to the movies, are enriched for us by the presence of friends. Having and keeping friends is a central part of the human condition in which we all find ourselves. Without friends we can survive but the quality of life is definitely reduced.

Acknowledging how important friends are is the first and perhaps most important senior tip for making new friends.

2. Be ready to put yourself where the action is. Knowing how important friends are is important but that knowledge is only useful if you act on it. Sitting in your new assisted living apartment waiting for something wonderful to happen to or for you isn't likely to bring a swarm of new friends to your door. A second important senior tip for making new friends is to put yourself where the action is.

If you are living in an assisted living facility this can mean signing up for things, joining things, being part of community activities. You don't have to do everything, but if you want to make friends it's important to join activities where you can meet others in a relaxed and secure atmosphere.