Building Support Circles for Women Over 60: Carol and Louise’s Silver Sisters
Introducing the Silver Sisters
The idea behind the Silver Sisters was to create a space where women over 60 could support each other. Some of the issues include health, aged parents, empty nest, retirement, and family problems. Difficulties can also be about managing stress, burnout, anxiety, loss, and bereavement. These are experienced in a different way from younger people - it is a specific life stage.
As Carol explains, “There is an assumption that older people are ‘past it’. But we can engage in many activities that bring fulfilment and meaning to our lives.”
Why Dedicated Spaces Matter
Louise expands on why groups like Silver Sisters are so important:
“Yes, there is a need for dedicated spaces catering to seniors as they face many issues that younger folk don’t have to think about. As the decades have gone by, older people have often been exposed to and informed by a wider arc of experiences, probably cross-generational, maybe also cross-cultural, and they are hopefully all the richer for it.”
“But on the downside,” she continues, “they will most likely have had to face and adapt to a number of the difficult life-changing events associated with ageing and mortality - far more closer to home than younger folk - such as aspects of physical degeneration, aches and pains, illness, traumatic life events, loss, family dissolution, loss of healthy function, loss of role, loss of status, loss of hope, isolation and loneliness, financial issues, difficulties keeping abreast of fast-moving technologies etc.”
Louise also points out an important societal challenge: “Older people can often be made to feel cast aside, overlooked, irrelevant, as though they have nothing to add.”
Personal Reflections from Carol
Carol shares a personal note that resonates deeply with the purpose of the Silver Sisters.
“I turned 80 last year, which was a wake-up call. I am old! I made two decisions. One was to stay connected to the people I care about - many have died. The other was to keep travelling, to visit the places I am interested in for probably the last time.”
She has re-visited Rome, Florence, Venice, Morocco, Greece, and parts of France, with trips booked for Brazil and Mexico. “I will always keep going to Paris,” she adds.
Personal Reflections from Louise
Louise offers her own perspective on entering this stage of life:
“As we grow older, we’ve often accumulated a wide range of experiences - cross-generational, cross-cultural - and hopefully we’re richer for it. But it also means we’ve had to adapt to change again and again, often in ways that test our resilience. Physical changes, losses, shifts in family and work roles - all these can challenge our sense of identity and purpose.”
For her, being part of a community like Silver Sisters is a reminder that these transitions can be shared and understood. “What’s vital,” she reflects, “is having spaces where we can connect, exchange understanding, and remind each other that we still have plenty to give.”
Looking Ahead
Want to be a part of a community of women with similar shared life experiences to you? Join the Silver Sisters Circle on most second Tuesdays of the month.