Dos and don'ts for seniors looking for love at 60 and beyond

Single men over 60 often look for a woman who's always around and takes care of everything. This is precisely what women don't want as they've done that already. Photo: dpa/Uwe Umstätter

They might never have thought it possible, but many people on the far side of 60 find themselves looking for a new partner. The reason can be the death of their spouse, a divorce or a separation. Their search criteria for that special someone, needless to say, have likely changed since they were twenty-somethings.

“When you’re young, you look for a partner with whom you can also start a family, ” notes Dorothee Doering, a 70-year-old life and conflict-resolution coach who has written a book about looking for love late in life. Absent this criterion, it can be easier to find someone who suits you, she says.