At what age do you actually Call old !

If I've been 'elderly' since I was 67, what am I now, at 84? Perhaps we should have two categories: 'elderly' and 'aged'. At what age would 'elderly' merge into 'aged'?

Bring old is possibley how others view you
Having bounced back after a number of health issues and feel pretty fit
I have a yearly CT scsn, last year I was looked at sympathetically asked if I still wore a bra. A few days ago for this years scan I was asked if I needed help getting changed.

I've been known to say that I'm surprised how young old is! I'm 83 now and am still reasonably fit but I have heard myself grunt as I get up from sitting. I still teach two tai chi classes a week which keeps me supple, strengthens my bones and is also a good gentle aerobic workout. I began instructing when I was 68, loved it, and felt sorry that I'd found it so late in life. Never mind, I said to myself, you'll get a couple of years in before you're 70. So I must have thought then that 70 was old!

99!!!

Chocolatelovinggran

There was an old jazz musician who was quoted as saying, on his one hundredth birthday " If I'd known that I was going to live this long, I'd have taken more care of myself "

It was quite a while ago, and I didn’t save it, but I did enjoy the photo of a very ancient looking woman, lighting a fag from one of the candles on her 100th birthday cake!

I think a lot of people are in denial about ageing. I hate all this age is just a number nonsense. We get old (if we’re lucky,) we die.
I’m 67 and describe myself as old because I’m not middle-aged anymore. I feel young inside but physically I’m in decline. I’m not ashamed of it. I find that many people protest because I look much younger than - “you’re not old!” but I think that’s because they think I feel bad about it.
Be an example to those younger, tell them you’re comfortable with ageing and maybe one day, our youth-obsessed society will change its attitude.

I read with a class of 5-6 year olds at a local primary school.
I’m 69, I don’t consider myself old.
The children are very curios about my age, I don’t tell them.
One thought I I am 15, one that their teacher is my Mum, she’s in her 30’s.

One said I must be old as I have grey hair and “frinkles”.

Others were aghast that the great fire of London was before I was born.

The sweetest one , though, is that I’m “like a funny grandma”.
I’ll take that!

Curious, not curios.

Luckygirl3

My GP has just told me that I need to stay on Ramipril in spite of not having high BP because I have heart disease and my heart will be stronger in 20 years for taking it - I laughed at him! I am 76 now.

When I developed a Neuroendocrine tumour a couple of years ago, my consultant assured me that he knew of lots of people who have lived 20 years or more with one and there was no reason I couldn’t do the same. I asked him to put it in writing ……I am 79!

I'm in my 80'. Not remotely 'ashamed' of my age.

Aldom

I'm in my 80'. Not remotely 'ashamed' of my age.

Maybe not you, but many are. Look how many will tell you with pride that they look much younger than their age. Others are defensive about it.

If older people cannot be comfortable with their age, why should anyone else be expected to just accept that age is just a number.

I have no problem with talking about my age to anyone - GS asked me just this weekend how many times I had seen the spring daffodils starting to bloom - I thought that was a lovely question. I of course told him.

What I hate are the pain and physical limitations to life that go with being older.

Some of the best portraits I did whilst working in photography were of old people. Characterful faces with wrinkles.

I accept that at 79 I am old. I am happy to have reached this age and still be active, interested in life and fit enough to enjoy it - but I'm not going to let it define me.

I’m 54 and my dads 80 and he’s fitter than me . Age is just a number x

Age isn’t just a number 😬
Don’t mean to be rude but the phrase is so utterly fatuous and using it serves no-one.
People need to face up to mortality and accept ageing with grace and dignity.
Happy for you that your dad is doing so well.

I do not see the word old as a derogatory term, just an age stage, after middle aged to me the next stage is old then elderly.

Back in the day, we did not celebrate adult birthdays like we do today. When my parents were, 50, 60, 70, 80 nothing special was made of it.
Whereas I did not celebrate birthdays in my younger adult days, I did make myself a big 50th. During the previous year I had survived a serious illness and become an orphan.
I most definitely did not feel, in any, old or decrepit.
Then years later my children made me a large surprise party which was great. I was then entitled to retire (although did not do so for several more years), and also got my bus pass.

I made myself a lovely big 70th celebration, was noticing loss of muscle strength, but was still feeling very little different than I had for the past twenty or so years,

My 80th, towards the end of the Pandemic was a hit or miss affair, although I did get for that what I most wished which was a get-together of my five remaining adult children, their partners and my eight grandchildren. The anxiety of recent times there and deaths of friends and relatives did have me feeling more vulnerable - and YES, I felt old now.

I would say, that since my eightieth birthday, there has most definitely been a downturn in my health and my everyday living abilities. Nearly four years later, I still live totally independently, but find I have much more trouble doing everyday tasks. Have given up driving, need much more sleep each 24 hours, do things much slower.
Feel that my mental capacities are pretty much unchanged, but very large changes in my physical ones, and talking to others in their 80's most say much the same thing.

So, I would say upto 70 is middle aged, 70 plus is elderly, 80 is old and 90 is very old.

That’s me put firmly in my place

Back in the day, we did not celebrate adult birthdays like we do today

That's interesting Franbern. I try to remember anything about my parents birthdays and I can't really .I do recall saving up to buy my mother a pair of Scholl sandals with a wooden sole. The year I forgot my Dad's birthday and tried to remedy the situation by making a cake.

I agree with LaCrepe, at 68 I'm old. I'm certainly neither young nor middle aged.

I think a lot of the reason we did not celebrate adult birthdays in the past was because people were not as well off then, and could not afford to do so. Also most adults were at work on their birthdays.

When my parents retired and with a comfortable income, they did start going out for a meal to celebrate their birthdays, and sometimes family members would join the celebrations.

We have always given each other presents on our birthday and gone out for a meal, but even now we do not particularly celebrate birthdays, even those ending with '0'. On our 80th we simply went out for a meal as usual.

My admirable MiL commented that up to 80 things were fine but then the wearing out process set in, accelerating each year. I now see that she was right - like Franbern I am increasingly frustrated by my physical limitations though so far can continue life as normal, just much slower and with more breaks between activities. Definitely can’t manage a busy three session day now.

I remember celebrating 80th birthdays of parents and MIL.

We went out for celebratory meals, perhaps not weekends away as some like to do now.