That's not me

Just read a hospital report yesterday in which it referred to a 76 year old man. Gosh that's old I thought heavens it's my DH. Yes everyone gets old.

I'm trying to shed a bit of weight to get myself fitter!

At the beginning of the pandemic my 40 something neighbour sent me a message offering to do our shopping. It took a while for me to realise she considered us as elderly and vulnerable.
We are only in our 70s.

I'm a young 77 but when I look in the mirror a strange elderly lady looks back at me!!

JenniferEccles

Aren’t pregnant women of about 37 classified as geriatric mothers to be?

Don't know when geriatric kicks in for pregnancy but I was classified as "geriatric prima gravida" at 24

Getting old is better than the alternative!
Think of yourself as privileged!! xx

Lucca, that is brilliant. I think it should be printed on a t-shirt.

I have seen a t-shirt which says "it's weird being the same age as old people" but I think Lucca's wording would be much better.

I'm not yet ready for the t-shirt which reads "been there, done that, can't remember most of it".

I consider myself to still be a juvenile delinquent - still wearing leathers and riding a motorcycle, and laughing at childish and lavatorial humour. My motto is "I may grow older but I'll never grow up".

That's enough of my fashion statements for 'ahem' mature women - I'll go now....

Part of the problem with how we see ourselves as we age is the way that society sees us.
Our Western society is very youth based and as such, quite immature.
Other countries value and esteem those who have reached maturity, and value their experience and understanding.
Although I am now 73, I had an abusive marriage for 28 years that I was forced to leave in order to survive and continue to support our children financially.
But that was followed by 22 years of depression, for six months of every year, a terrible burden.
I have now discovered that this was a result of the years of abuse, and is called Complex PTSD.
I have only been depression free for the last three years, and in that time I have been living my life to the full.
I volunteer as a Listener at my church, am an active horsewoman, teach once a week and also babysit for two families.
I have always invested in my health, do yoga for suppleness and to be pain free, visit my osteopath if anything comes up, and walk for pleasure in the countryside.
I also have a richly rewarding spiritual life.
So I do believe that it is partly our mindset and how fit we want to stay; this is in our own hands to a certain extent.
I understand that keeping active and fit as we grow older is a vital aspect of remaining healthy in mind and body too.

My 87th is creeping up fast but really don't have time to think about it!! I live alone, except for 2 Boxer dogs and 2 rescue cats (from the original 8 rescues) and have redecorated throughout the house - 3 bed old stoneWelsh long house - decorated outside 3 years ago and keep the large garden up to scratch. I do have help in to do the highest hedges and cut the grass along a very long driveway. My friend's daughter, a Doctor, recently told me she was amazed at how 'young' I looked and how active. Long may it continue!!

My daughter was 40 a couple of weeks ago, that's impossible, I am only 21, in my head

Blimey! I'm 65. Never thought of myself as elderly. I walked a hundred miles last week!

Before all the Lockdowns I volunteered in a Charity shop for 27 years after being medically retired, which I hated with a passion! 3 days a week into Town to Volunteer kept me reasonably fit given my dodgy health! Now nearly 2 years on I am unable to walk far due to not being able to use my walking stick after 20+ years due to arthritic shoulders! My aches have developed aches of their own, damn cheek! Where at 75 I certainly did not feel my age now at 77 I sit thinking ‘oh well havent got much longer & it will all be over’ on a bad day! Never thought like that & did not feel my age, enjoyed my life but not now! Hasnt helped that only a couple of people from the Voluntary job bothered to keep in touch when I could not go back! The Manager never bothered at all but then doesnt like all of us old people there wants new younger people to volunteer even though they only stay long enough to get credit on their CV’s. Cant wait for Spring so I can try to get back a bit & not feel like 177 instead of just 77 as my head does not recognise that is me! Even through all of the last years I still do not feel mentally ‘elderly’! When I am playing my Rock music very loud I am back to the youngster going to gigs so cant be that old can I?

Calistemon

BlueBelle

76 still feel a spring chicken most of the time although I m not stupid and know I m not but hey ho I m happy kidding myself
BUT I m far from geriatric ….by the way when I had my third child at 28 I was called a geriatric mother

I had my first at that age and was an elderly primigravida ?

Perhaps I need to go cold water swimming with you, Bluebelle, it might perk me up a bit.

I had my first at 24 and was noted down as elderly primagravida!!

That being said, I was complaining to somebody about an old man in a hat driving along at a constant 20mph that I was stuck behind and my friend said all drivers over 70 should take a test every year, I agreed at first and then realised I was well past that already!!

I am heading for 71. I am older not elderly!

70 and don’t feel elderly. Mind you , some of my former pupils became grandparents in their 40s, many years before I attained that status . Now that did make me feel old !

I ws shocked recently when reading an article that referred to anyone over 60 as "elderly"
OK there are some days when my joints aren't as agile as they were in my 20s, but I always have thought that you are elderly once you reach about 80, not before!
Maybe I should be expecting more bits to start dropping off!

I'm with GrammarGrandma........I am happy to be 'old' but I am definitely NOT 'elderly'. I find that sooo insulting!

And I class myself as being older than I was ( 82 this year ) which I can't believe at all.
Inwardly I do object to the " old or elderly " label. They haven't a clue about my mind, which fortunately hasn't altered for years.

Twin GGC of mine will be 16 this year so if that doesn't make you think twice about getting " old " I don't know what does. It has the opposite effect in fact, to think that you're living long enough to watch them growing up. I think it's amazing and gives you the urge to carry on.

Lucca

Old/elderly is ten years older than I am, and always will be.

Agree Lucca ! And as you say Hetty we only feel old when we are ill.

I do a litter pick when I walk the dog and a young woman spoke to me and said 'you are a good old soul'! I've just turned 70 but it made me feel 90!

Once we are thought of as being elderly does that mean our bad behaviour gets excused? “When I am old I shall wear purple with red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me…” etc Jenny Joseph.

Love all these posts. Age is just a number not a state of mind.

The trouble is that we grew up in an age that idolised youth, and we are still surrounded by the cult of youth.

Look at fashion: how many of the clothes shown in adverts or in the shops would look good, or even suitable on a woman of seventy (my age)? They are designed for young women, barely out of their teens. This would not worry me if it were actually possible to find clothes that looked good on a woman of my age and size (1,62 metres and 56 kg) If I weighed 15 or so kilos more I might just be able to find clothes, but I don't.

The cult of youth insiduous in that it makes the media assume that anyone over 50 is past it, approaching senile dementia and other trials of old age.

Statistics show that only about 5% of those of us who have retired are incapacitated by old age, or any of all the ailments that are constantly talked of.

However, most of us have noticed that we have slowed down a bit, see or hear less well than formerly, no longer feel confident about doing some of the things we used to do without a blink.

On the bright side we have a lot of experience and probably more patience than we did have forty or fifty years ago.

My 7 year old grandson: “you must admit Nanny that at your age you are lucky to be alive” . We had been discussing my upcoming 80th birthday ?

Nothing wrong with slowing down and having afternoon naps, some people might enjoy it, there seems to be an obsession with being on the move all the time.