We're not 'The Elderly'

I think it is the association of elderly with frailness that is the problem, not the actual word elderly. Not all elderly people are frail just as not all young people are full of beans. Some young people are frail. Young, middle-aged, old, elderly – they are all just quite useful descriptive terms about age. If people attach connotations such as frail to them, that isn't the fault of the user of the word elderly.

But comparatively old (compared to a very large proportion of the population) and therefore on the old side or, as they say, elderly. They could hardly call her young.

I qualify as a boomer (just- born 1964) and am a grandmother, yet I still have a nine year old child at home,so I definitely don't consider myself old or elderly. I guess I'd say middle-aged, if asked. But my parents are 70 and 71, and I wouldn't call them elderly either,given their health and vigour. I definitely associate the term elderly with frailness.

It's when the media that use the term eg

' Elderly lady fights off intruder with rolling pin. Ann Other, 61, was so enraged when a .....'

Then I think, elderly? She's younger than I am

apricot I have absolutely no intention of 'passing' I dislike it intently. I plan to die! For me it is just the same as when I taught my children the proper names of parts of their bodies.

Actually I don't even like IHT, I still think of it as Death Duties which is what it actually is!

I've been asking tall people to reach things down for me all my life judi!

I have been called young for longer than I have been young.

I've been elderly for longer than I have been old...

I would prefer to be called Mrs ..... by my grandchildrens' contemporaries rather than by my first name as happens now. Also, when called into the doctor's surgery why am I called by my first name? Please could I have Mrs tagged on?

bags I agree! The actual word itself is not worth bothering about; the stereotyping of the old or elderly or whatever is annoying, but so what?

rosequartz hot toddy winging its way through the ether to you.

As well as being subjective. DH was thought to be an "old man" by some Cubs when he was in his early fifties. Big deal. Not.

All elderly means to me is that whoever is called it is no longer young. Simple and true.

What a lot of fuss about nothing! To call a group "elderly" is not necessarily to dismiss or stereotype it any more than calling a group "young people" is. Both terms are vague in the extreme, e.g. young person can refer to someone who is a baby or to someone who is in their twenties or even thirties. Elderly refers to people who either are very old or who are, as Chambers puts it, "approaching old age" – another vast range of actual physical ages.

The article asks that we be called "older" but older is comparative so needs to be qualified with an explanation – older than what? Why, older than young people is all.

Nothing wrong with the terms kids, young adults, middle aged bods and the elderly as far as I'm concerned. It's all relative and, in particular, it's extremely vague and non-informative and therefore not worth taking any notice of.

<shrugs and moves on, not caring two hoots what age related category labelling people put her in>

Far too old.....silly ipad spelling pixies..... Sorry!

I was always taught to call my 'elders' ie old enough to be my parent Mr and Mrs. I now have fewer and fewer people to do this to, but find myself still calling people who used to be old enough mr and Mrs. It is becoming the norm for young nurses to just use a first name without asking, assuming that most do not mind! A rather delightful Nonogenarian announced to me on my first conversation with her today , that Mrs ....... Was her mother in law! I was to call her by her first name. I do try but it feels so wrong. So to try and get me to do it we have come to the compromise that if I forget she will call me Sister, rather than by my first name which I think is so much better.
My other fault is the term Mrs over Miss, probably more irksome for some. Perhaps the term Mrs should come as the title change for Master to Mister. After all we are no longer a Husbands property. It would be less irritating for them to have to correct my mistakes....
When I asked a young boy how old he was today, as he had his birthday boy badge on he proudly said 7! He then asked me how old I was, I told him as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth. It was something my gramma told me. I smiled as I walked away. I just hope one day I can say it to a grand child of my own....as for being elderly..Old as you feel and in my head I am still far too you do for some of my party tricks!

I agree with Ogden Nash
“Senescence begins
And middle-age ends
The day your descendants
Outnumber your friends”

But as I have only 5 descendants (3 children and 2 grandsons) I must be a long way off senescene, unless of course I have very few friends!

I'm still occasionally asked to reach things down from the top shelves in supermarkets even though I am apparently 'elderly'! (I'm not a giant, just 5'7").

Dear Ninathenana and Jinglbells.frocks, Well I looked at this subject thinking it might be amusing, but according to you both I am elderly, frail, and vulnerable! Alas! - Actually you're probably right! (Or were?) I am not quite so f. and v. now as I was end of last year but am definitely not any_younger_(I've tried to underline younger). Anyway, that's how it is and I don't mind really.
Being elderly (or whatever) means tall people offer to get things down from the top shelf in the supermarket, and you can have someone push your trolley to the car, or carry your coffee to the table in the cafe. You can smile at nice young men who open doors (or assist in other ways) and tell them how lovely they are for being so kind. Lots of things.
Well I'm finishing now. Time to wind down before bed. Good night!

Thanks loop50, it's just a bug picked up from DGD2 I think!

The article mentioned boomers were born 1946 onwards, so I would assume I was elderly by their criterion.

However, I'm definitely a 'baby' boomer' in my opinion.

What a sweet story !

I loved reading this story today ...and elderly not mentioned once!
www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/eighty-Devon-couple-Britain-s-oldest-newlyweds/story-20819042-detail/story.html

I've now got a free TV licence, so I'm probably old. My mother died at 91 and lived alone until the end. An aunt lived in her own home until she died at 97

IMO < if people want to use "passed away" to denote death that is their right .
What ever floats your boat, TBH !

I agree with you Flickety. Death is something we all have to face up to and although it's talked about more these days the euphemisms are also creeping in.

The use of the euphemism 'passed away' rather than saying 'died' or 'dead' is becoming endemic in the UK. When I was a child my grandmother considered the phrase 'passed away' very Hyacinth Bucket.
Now I have even heard it used by Newsreaders on the Radio 4.

Tomorrow we are going to the funeral of life-long very dear friend who died 10 days ago. He died. It is how his wife described the event when she rang us a few hours after the event and it is how his children describe the event. He did not pass on, leave us, go before or any other of the silly euphemisms.

hi rosequartz. Although the Boomer thing refers to baby boomers (roughly 50-70 years old I think it's a movement or a way of thinking.

You lived through and probably helped raise that generation.

There are also some other items which encourage the thought that younger people and older people can have regard for each other.

Anyway - stay well.