How old is elderly?

You know you're elderly when they discontinue your blood group!

It's not your age which determines your fraility, it is the journey you have had in your life. Trauma mentally and physically age you quickly.

Possibly as people are living longer , the definition of elderly has changed . I’m 64 , fit and healthy and consider myself middle aged . My DM is 87 frail with mobility issues and possibly early dementia, I consider elderly.

Back in 1966, I was in an amateur production of Dick Whittington, and the opening number included the memorable lines: -

What you see on stage is
The later Middle Ages.

I have decided that I am now "later middle-aged".

I’m 73 and classed as a “moderately frail elder “according to my GP records!! I wasn’t happy with the phrase but apparently it’s my blood pressure medication and my hip replacement surgery .
My SiL said he forgets I’m old, when the other day we were talking about upcoming holidays , and I mentioned insurance being astronomical for over 70’s
But today having spent 3 hours in my much neglected garden I feel very old 😐

I opened this thread and saw i had posted on the first page and had no recollection of posting on it but was about to post the same as I did....I can't tell you how relieved I was to learn it was an old thread and not me losing my mind!

I'm elderly. Or our children are sure I'm elderly.

Their latest is to call me 'boomer' (I'm wrong age, apparently that is not important) because I'm out of touch with tech.

Oh well, elderly boomer on this side of Heaven. Good enough.

In many societies an "elder" is a person who is respected for their wisdom and revered. It's only in youth obsessed cultures that the inevitable "ageing" that we all will experience (unless we are already dead) is seen in such a negative way.

I'm in late middle age (68) 😉. I suppose when I hit 70 I might feel old but at the minute, I can't imagine that that will feel elderly which, as others have said, has a frailness component in it somehow.

Marydoll

BTW, I am 68 😱 in a few weeks, so not far behind you, Maddy.

But at least you’re still in your sixties Marydoll. Turning seventy last month was the worst birthday I’ve ever had in terms of age. Being seventy makes me feel old. It’s the number, I just don’t like it, but it’s better than the alternative at least.
I had some lovely celebrations. We all went out for afternoon tea in New Zealand, my husband and daughter and the grandchildren, and I had a gorgeous cake made. I was going to be seventy in March, and my daughter was forty in March, so we celebrated early, in January, and we celebrated 110 together. We took pictures and a lady I used to work with said I looked fifty, not seventy. That was very kind of her, but as foxie says, we are whatever age we are, however we look. Then we did it all again on the actual date of my birthday. Out again to a nice hotel for afternoon tea and this time with my husband and sons and families. It’s all been lovely, but I’m still seventy!

We are the same age regardless of whether we dress in a modern style or not, have grey hair or colour it, have our own teeth or not. Surely "elderly" is a description of our "age" not how we look or feel. We don't use this way of describing people who are young, children or babies, we only seem to want to hide the fact that we are in the later stage of our life and it's a charade. If you are in your 70's like it or not you are elderly, if you look and feel younger than your years, that's great but you are still in your 70's.

My mind's still about 21 when I wake up, full of plans for what I'm going to do today.

My knees are about 103 and shout "Whoa" when I get out of bed.

As DGD told me a few years ago "perhaps you'll be able to skip like me when you're a bit older" 😁

It’s an interesting thread. My grandparents were born between 1905 and 1916. They were elderly by fifty and old by sixty. This was a mindset shared by most people of their generation. They always dressed very smartly but in an old people’s style. They had false teeth from an early age, my grandmothers had a curly perm and weekly shampoo and set. They behaved very differently from my generation and were very staid. They were picture book grandparents and I loved them dearly. There was a seismic shift with the next generation and people are much younger in attitude well into their sixties and even seventies. My mother is 81 and I would definitely class her as elderly as l would many people over seventy. I am 58 and middle aged.

I am 78 but not elderly

BTW, I am 68 😱 in a few weeks, so not far behind you, Maddy.

Maddyone, it was about four years ago and I has suffered a heart attack. I noticed a new drug in my stash, so I questioned it. The nurse responed with: "Oh we give it to all our geriatric patients.".

Marydoll I thought the term geriatric had been discontinued now. When my dear dad was ill he was on a normal ward, but as he neared death he was moved to a ward designated Care of the Elderly. My daughter, a doctor, told me it’s not considered polite to term people geriatric now. Anyway you’re younger than me (I’m now 70 since last month) so you’re definitely neither geriatric nor elderly.

Callistemon21

Well, we're all 15 months older than when this thread first started, if that makes you feel better or worse.
My knees are definitely 10 years older than they were then.
☹

In hospital in my early sixties, a nurse classed me as a geriatric patient. When I objected, he changed it to elderly patient.
I was not pleased at all!

PinkCosmos

Here is the sign. I heard a few years ago that it was no longer used. There is still one near us.

There’s one outside our house 😂. Further along the road is a complex for retired clergy. I’m tempted to draw halos above the heads.

I’m 83, and that’s elderly, or old, or whatever you like to call it. I freely admit to it and I don’t need euphemisms. Being old is nothing to be ashamed of.

I'm 75 this year and frankly feel very pleased to be able to become elderly, so many of my friends haven't had that opportunity. I'm still able to do pretty much what I want to do, still look OK (just older) and am a lot wiser and kinder than I was when I was young. My main aim is to make the very best of what time I have left.

Luckygirl3

*‘Elderly’ conjures up that road sign with two old people on sticks ......... Hope I never look like that.* - that's very ageist! I have used a stick for years, long before anyone might have thought me elderly. Beware of stereotypes!!

I wrote this originally. I didn’t mean to offend about using a stick, it was more that the elderly people were stooped and just looked ‘elderly’.

I still hope not to look like that, but realise I may one day.

M0nica

*Blondiescot*, It used to be 28, or was it 25?

I thought it was 28 too.

Well, we're all 15 months older than when this thread first started, if that makes you feel better or worse.
My knees are definitely 10 years older than they were then.
☹