If you were to believe everything you saw in the movies, you’d think dating was a young man’s game, but it’s not. Many people find themselves back on the dating scene later in life. But not everyone will approve.

“People are worried about what children and grandchildren will think, there’s a lot of guilt,” says Dr Paul D’Alton, president of the Psychological Society of Ireland.

“When establishing a relationship after a death, older people can feel they’re being disloyal or disrespectful to the person who died. That’s the personal psychological stumbling block that older people have to deal with.”

Paul also notes that this age bracket are dealing with a lot of social expectations and social norms that say you shouldn’t be dating in your 70s at all.

“There’s a lot of age-related discrimination,” says Paul. “The attitude is that you shouldn’t be interested in dating and you shouldn’t be interested in sex. The ageism tends to come from younger people – they write off anyone who’s over 50, who’s grey. That generation have become invisible and their need for emotional closeness and sexual expression is viewed to be minimal. Those needs are denied by society at large for an older generation.”

However, in a recent survey conducted by dating website Elite Singles, 96% of the 2,500 single over 70s who were surveyed believe you can fall in love at any age, while 87% believe love could be around the corner and 60% believe in love at first sight.

Charlotte Bridge, SEO and content manager with Elite Singles says that older dating is very, very common. A third of the members on the Elite Singles Irish website are over 50.

“People are living longer, healthier lives. It’s the norm to date. These days people tend to feel uncomfortable with the idea of seniors dating. It doesn’t sit with traditional ideas about old age. They have lived through the movement for sexual liberation. We tend to forget there’s no age limit on the desire to find love.

“Our need for social connection is there throughout our lives,” adds Dr Paul D’Alton.

“The need for social and emotional connection doesn’t diminish with age. There may even be an increased need for that relationship intimacy at that point of life because peers have died and peers have moved away.”

Intimacy certainly seems to be top of the agenda for this age group. Another survey of over 70s conducted by Elite Singles found that older people have a higher desire for sex than singles aged 18-30. The survey also found that 93% of over 70s said sex was important to them in a relationship.

There are challenges specific to this age group however, and not being native to the world of technology is one of them. There is a lot of fear to embracing online dating, which is very understandable, but it’s a pity because there are a great range of dating services to be found online and Elite Singles is just one of them.

Elite Singles was founded in Germany and is now present across 30 countries. Charlotte says it is doing particularly well in Ireland, something that may be linked to the high divorce rate here which sees a second wave of singles going online to find someone.

Most members with profiles on Elite Singles are between the ages of 30 and 55. Its approach is quite comprehensive. Those who sign up have to complete a very extensive personality test where they have to answer 300 questions.

“It’s intelligent matchmaking,” explains Charlotte.

“Elite Singles will give you three to seven compatible profiles a day. I think that’s what separates us from other dating sites. It’s quite scientific. Another reason it works so well is because it’s a really safe and supportive service. Every profile is viewed by a member of staff before it goes live. I would 100% recommend people to do it. You’re never too old to find love.”

Men and women have differing attitudes within the world of romance that are particularly relevant to this age bracket. Paul D’Alton notes that in the case of bereavement, men are inclined to get into more relationships for the sake of it.

“There are men who, rather than deal with their own grief, seek to replace the person they lost. They go on the rebound instead of dealing with their own grief.”

And it seems that women are more interested in sex than men. According to Elite Singles survey findings, 93% of women think the quality of sex improves with age and experience while only 76% of men feel the same. This may be to do with another statistic – that only 4% of women feel they lack the energy and ability for the dating scene at this age, compared to 23% of men. There are advantages that are unique to this age bracket too.

“There is that kind of wisdom that goes with old age,” says Paul D’Alton. “What’s urgent to those in their 20s and 30s – you get perspective in old age and that perspective brings ease... it doesn’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t have to happen just now.

“Furthermore, the older we get, the more compassionate we become. More understanding comes with age. There is often an older wiser person who has seen it all and is essentially less judgmental. Baggage increases and so does the human heart, and its openness, warmth and compassion.”