Think a love relationship is passing you by because you’re 50, 55, 65, even older? Think again – positively this time.

Although, it’s true that many couples who get together in later life do circumvent the marriage service, it’s usually for financial reasons. These include immediate loss of pension or health insurance from a late husband; children awaiting an inheritance to which they imagine they’re entitled; and worse, the threat of legal responsibility for a spouse who gets sick and runs out of money. “That,” according to Bill Browning, president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, “can drain life savings within months.”

Among couples who recently chose that route is Jackie who lives with a former university professor (70+), Heather whose significant other is an ex bank vice-president (85), voice coach David (75+) who made his vows to Alma in a commitment ceremony – aboard the Queen Mary, no less - and dozens of steady daters around the Valley.

In an attempt to stem this increasing tendency a national campaign is underway to laud the wedded state. Posters are already adorning buses and/or subway station walls in Washington D.C. and Baltimore, will soon arrive in New York, and later, our own great city. They proclaim: Marriage Works! Married People Accumulate More Money! Married People Live Longer!

Among senior Las Vegans, who needed no bidding, Yvette (55) married Fred at the Catholic Church, Donald (80+) took Beverly as his wife at the Presbyterian Church, and Edith (80+) wedded her beau at the Eagles Club.

All the while, those men and women who remain single, by choice or otherwise, trip the light fantastic with partners they encounter at local dances or Big Band Balls.

There’s certainly no reason to delay joining them for fear the crowd may be too young; it’s easy to determine which is which. There’s rarely anyone under 55 at an event playing Golden Oldies. Ditto if it is held at teatime or early evening.

Right now there’s dancing on Mondays at 7PM (with a free lesson at 6PM) at The Gold Coast; on Wednesdays at 7PM; at the Santa Fe; Sundays at 4PM at Texas Station; and Thursday afternoons at Boulder Station.

Although participating in games, lessons, seminars, or club activities paves the way for a few lasting friendships, it does take a while to develop them. Undoubtedly the quickest method for meeting lots of eligible persons in all age groups including the “49 and up” and “55 and up” categories is through Pre-dating.com that runs events at The Cactus Club and other venues. Just check their website, click on Las Vegas, and you’ll find all the upcoming events. When you register, use the code AVLV, I’ve obtained especially for my readers, so you’ll even receive a discount.

As long as you avoid confusing this with internet dating, (ignore such sites that sometimes intervene as pop-ups), there’s no reason to be reticent about trying this modern craze or harbor misconceptions about its being all about sex, or only for the young. When I researched the practice and spoke to local participants I found the seniors to be sound, intelligent, usually widowed men and women, who had held responsible positions during their working period. All were seriously interested in finding a companion with whom to reconstruct a stable life and, perhaps, go cruising, touring the country by RV, or experiencing other leisure pastimes they denied themselves during years of heavy family involvement.

As a bonus, they said, pre-dating prevents spending money and time on person after person after person who turns out to be unsuitable for the long-term, or clinging to someone with whom the chemistry is not right just because there’s nobody else around.

Heather Latimer’s column ©