If you’ve never caught an episode of First Dates, you’re truly missing out.
And while we now have our very own version of the show, the original from Britain still has the power to tug at the heart strings.
In a recent episode, a 90-year-old widower, Raymon, appeared on the programme.
He told interviewers that since his wife passed away 16 years ago, he has struggled with intense loneliness.
“We adored each other,” he told cameras.
“When we went to bed and got together in the middle, the bed spread apart and we ended up on the floor…you don’t forget things like that. I can’t help it.”
Admitting that he feels intensely lonely, Raymon adds that he often goes to the supermarket just to have a conversation with another human being.
It was this feeling of isolation that prompted the pensioner to apply for the show.
He was paired with a lonesome elderly woman named Cecilia, even having a dance together during their date.
Despite this, the couple found they did not have enough in common to keep seeing one another.
And while plenty of Twitter users expressed their sadness at hearing of Raymon’s story, one particular user shared her pragmatic take on the situation.
“90 y/o man on #FirstDates can teach us all to take time to have a convo with an elderly person as it may be only chat they have that day,” wrote Sophie Leigh.
Here in New Zealand, there are several community initiatives set up to help ease loneliness and social isolation in the elderly. You can register an old person for this service or sign up to volunteer by clicking through to their page here.
