Hosts MB Roberts and Roy Clary Jr. sit down with Dating While Gray podcast host Laura Stassi to explore romance and relationships in later life. The conversation challenges common stereotypes about older adults and intimacy while offering practical insights for those re-entering the dating world after divorce or widowhood. Laura shares stories from her podcast about people opening their parameters, finding love in unexpected places and custom-building relationships that fit their needs. The hosts and Laura discuss the complications that arise when adult children struggle with their parents' new romantic interests, the importance of expanding definitions of intimacy and sexual connection and why companionship becomes richer as we age. Brookdale gerontologists Dr. Christy Phillips and Jill Ladaa join to discuss the stigma around romance for older adults and why social connections remain vital throughout our lives.
CHAPTERS
Love Doesn't Have An Age Limit - 01:10
Dating Looks Different After 60 - 04:33
Opening Your Parameters - 09:05
The Problem With Online Dating - 11:50
When Adult Children Complicate Romance - 14:35
Intimacy And Physical Changes - 21:05
Expert Insight From Brookdale Gerontologists - 26:06
The Loneliness Of Caregiving - 29:36
Getting Back In The Game - 24:07
One Piece Of Advice For Daters - 33:51
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RESOURCES
Brookdale Senior Living
https://www.brookdale.com/
Dating While Gray Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dating-while-gray/id1497374383
Pew Research Center - Dating at 50 and Up
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/17/dating-at-50-and-up-older-americans-experiences-with-online-dating/
- Study on dating patterns among older single adults (17% of Americans 50+ have used dating sites or apps)
Helen Fisher
https://helenfisher.com/
- Biological anthropologist who studied the brain and love (died August 2024). Known for MRI research on romantic love and her work on personality and mate choice
Sizzling Sex for Life by Michael Castleman
https://www.amazon.com/Sizzling-Sex-Life-Everything-Maximize/dp/1510762558
- Book about maintaining sexual intimacy throughout life by sex journalist Michael Castleman
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
https://walterreed.tricare.mil/
- Military medical center referenced in discussion about sexuality counseling and adaptive intimacy for wounded war veterans
Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD)
https://www.theaftd.org/
- Resource about FTD (frontotemporal dementia), the condition discussed in relation to caregiving and loneliness. Bruce Willis was diagnosed with FTD in 2023
