As Online Dating Grows Popular, STDs Soar for Senior Citizens (Social Media & Medicine)

As an aspiring/future doctor in family medicine, I believe that it is very important to educate the senior population about being safe when it comes to online dating. Social media holds a strong presence in our everyday lives. As a result, we must acknowledge that it will play a huge role in the field of medicine, too. This article below is a good example of that as STDs are on the rise for senior citizens with the increase in popularity of online dating. #foodforthought

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As Online Dating Grows Popular, STDs Soar for Senior Citizens

By The (Ree)lationship Guide

Before you think about creating a dating profile for your parent and/or grandparent, you must encourage them to use protection once they decide to become intimate with their new companion.

According to New York Post, STD rates among senior citizens are growing at a record pace. The number of 50, 60 and 70 year-olds that have Chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea doubled in the past decade, with cases of Chlamydia and syphilis in senior citizens growing to 19,000 and 2,500, respectively, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The Internet is not to blame for the surge in STD rates among senior citizens, longer life expectancy, climbing divorce rates, and recharged libidos are behind the surge in online and offline love affairs.

Senior People Meet, Seniors Meet, and Ourtime.com are the three biggest and most reputable online dating sites for senior citizens.” Combined, the three sites share more than four million users. Ourtime.com’s membership increased from 1 million to 2.5 million singles in nine months. Seniors are embracing their right and freedom to find love. In a 2010 Senior.com article titled “Senior Citizen Dating Sites – Why They Are Your Best Ticket To Finding Your Dream Partner,” seniors are encouraged to embrace online dating. The author also tells readers that online dating is an opportunity for them to “open the door for getting back out into the relationship game.”

(Source: idatedaily.com)