#everydayageism

I agree that sometimes ageism is alive and well. I think this can be endorsed by councils/businesses providing specific events for older people. If we do not mix socially with a wide age range people can become isolated, especially if mobility /health becomes an issue. Our local WI has women from ages 27-80+ and we all have a good laugh together. Some drivers have begun to share lifts to supermarkets, trips out etc to less mobile friends etc.

My 87 year old neighbour is a warm and friendly person with lively and interesting conversation. She is not in 100% health but she does not let that take over her life. I saw her yesterday off on a coach trip to the seaside 'with the old ladies' & we laughed that she did not count herself in that group! However some older people are just miserable people who got old & do not attract friendship or support. You can be old at 20!

What's happened to the new thread?

Or is this it? I could have sworn there was another one this morning... If not, why's this one been resurrected?

There was a new one this morning. Had just one post on it. Don't know where it's gone.

Phew! Thought I was getting delusional...

It's very weird though. Wonder what happened. I think they had a change of heart at HQ.

Just noticed in Sainsbury's.....there is one till man (not particularly good looking) who always seems to be chatting with any young woman in front.....gets to me and he turns silent.

Not that I am interested - but it does get a bit obvious.

Poor Alie.

And you thought you could get that by the eagle-eyes of Gransnet Gigi, without us noticing?!

And what's happened to Julie???

(from the GN Newsletter " Best wishes from Cari, Gigi, Lucy, Emily and Lautel " )

I wonder if Julie just holds the fort at weekends. Keeps an eye on us.

I have just read a news article about the police use of tasters in the United States. It referred several times to the police tasering "an elderly woman" and a "grandmother". She is 60.

Well, yes, but that's just journalism, isn't it? I expect if the tasered one had been a 60 year old man they'd have referred to him as 'elderly' too (and 'a grandfather' if he was one).

It's still an ageist attitude though, Ana - man or woman.

I don't think that is ageist. Wouldn't bother me to be called an elderly woman. I'm more elderly than youngerly and not yet 60.

And I love being a grandmother. Why would I mind anyone mentioning it?

I rather hope I'll be elderly for a long time, just as I was youngerly for quite a long time. I think I might have missed out being middle-aged

I think in that news item the suggestion was that it was more shocking for the unarmed woman to be tasered because she was "elderly" than it is for younger unarmed people. Tasering people willy nilly, which is what seems to be the case in some states, seems wrong per se to me.

Funny how the word youngerly doesn't exist - and youthful is not quite the same.

It exists now. I shall find ways to use it for the rest of my life.

I'm also quite glad, I just realised, that I missed out being middle-aged. It sounds so stuffy whereas there's a certain freedom about elderly

Yes. There's a certain dignity about being elderly as well. Nothing dignified about being middle-aged - I think I missed that as well!

(One too many 'as wells' there - sorry!)

It's just a polite way of saying "old".

In New Zealand, the driver of our tourist bus on 90 Mile Beach announced that he would stop and let the 'elder ladies' get off. My sister and I looked round to see whom he meant and then, looking at each other, realised that it was us! Elder is an honourable status among the Maori and many other peoples worldwide. Why not here?

It's liberating being elderly too. You can get away with much more

I'm not sure that I ever do anything that I need "to get away with". Whatever do you mean, you naughty Anya?

Not telling Absent