21st century dating for seniors goes high tech

True story: He and she, both 83, lost their spouses at roughly the same time. He, without a spouse for the first time in 60 years, was bereft.

One day God told him to look up his old friend — that would be ‘she.’ He did. She did. They said, “I Do” three months later.

But you don’t have to wait for a message from the Almighty to find a partner at any age. There’s an app for that. And Websites.

But, whoa! Is it dangerous? Not really, but maybe. Does it work? For many it does. Is it undignified? That’s your call, but consider that fully 19 percent of brides of all ages in 2017 met their spouse online. That’s more than those who met through friends (17 percent); or during college (15 percent); or at work (12 percent), according to TheKnot.com.

If you want a partner, and you are retired and not in college, a senior dating site could be the ticket.

For marriage minded people, eharmony.com is ranked first in creating more marriages than any other dating site. They make up 4 percent of all marriages in the U.S.

It’s pricey. A three-month membership costs about $60 per month, but if you commit for a year, it goes down to about $27.

But it’s also the safest, most effective option. The site screens out sex offenders and monitors communication. It provides members with matches.

The oldest and biggest dating site is Match.com, which opened in 1995. In terms of sheer numbers, Match has the edge. They have 35 million visitors a month, the most of any dating site. Unlike eharmony, Match is more social, letting members browse profiles by age and location, and they do provide five potential matches per day. The cost is $27 a month for three months or $21 a month for a year.

If you are picky, the site for you could be EliteSingles.com, according to Mashable.

For people who hate blind dates, EliteSingles stresses quality over quantity. Members receive just a few matches based on their detailed questionnaire. Matches are based on many factors including location, religion, ethnicity and age. Their anti-fraud system helps insure the matches are real people and not scammers.

In terms of cost, this is the most expensive option: $90 for one month; $50 a month for three months; $40 a month for six months; and lower for a year.

SilverSingles, part of the EliteSingles system, is aimed at over-60 dating. Members get five matches per day. It is a little cheaper than Elite Singles, with a three-month commitment adding up to $60 per month.