My dad is 70 and wants to meet someone

[TheOpalFox]

hes very vulnerable but the kindest man. He lives with me and he’s 70. He’s desperate to meet a lady friend!!!!! How do I go about it please? There is a dating app for over 70s lol I’m just not sure!!!! But he is vulnerable as he’s got learning difficulties but surely he could meet someone for
coffee etc?

Any community centres for the 55+ nearby? My grandparents are both in one and everyone is dating!! Also, fantastic activities and sense of friendship so it’s great all round

Do not let him under any circumstances do online dating. Take him to clubs and meet ups for the elderly so he can meet people in person. It’s far too easy for romance scammers to trick people online especially with AI photos etc. We had a relative who lost everything he had to one.

Also the U3A - wide variety of interest groups to choose from, based locally.
From seated board games, art, languages to walking groups of varying abilities

I understand your concern @Very1 given your relative was scammed.

But people over 70 are not children. They don't all need "taking somewhere" and all of them most certainly don't need anyone policing their relationships.

as a 75 year old, I have agency, and anyone, relative or not who thinks they can over ride my agency, will very quickly learn otherwise.

The op literally spells it out, “he is vulnerable as he’s got learning difficulties”

For goodness sake the man is a full grown adult and not a child ....most of us will be newly retired at 70 and leading active lives and may want to meet a partner for company and dare I say it sex ...

The OP said he was vulnerable and has learning difficulties.

OP, does your library or local cafes have Chatty Cafes? They have here in Australia and are often publicised by the local authority.

Someone else has mentioned it but I was also going to suggest u3a. It is aimed at those over about 55. Each area will have different interest groups depending on the members. Each group is run by members but can include things such as conversational languages, local history, music, craft, gardening, gentle exercise, walking etc. No qualifications, just sharing interests. ( I do know of people that met at a u3a group and were happily married a few years later).

If that isn't suitable maybe ask around to see what groups/sessions there are in the area for his age group. There are often groups taking place in community centres, and churches that welcome anyone from the area.

Is there a community hub where you live? They often have groups for all sorts of people and interests. Even just hanging around in them can lead to connections too.
Or see if his GP surgery has a social prescriber/community navigator. They will know about groups that might be of interest to him.
Good luck.

My dad just got married again at 80 so it is possible. He married an old school friend - they’d stayed in touch a bit over the years but reconnected on Facebook.

As for your dad, you could try specialist dating sites. I think there’s one called ‘our time’ for over 50s. As he’s got learning difficulties, with his consent, you might want to ask if he’ll let you vet anyone he starts speaking to!

I was going to suggest U3A too.