# How old is "elderly?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 3, 2019, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484 "2019-03-03T15:24:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/21 "2019-03-03T21:55:46Z")
This is just one of those little shocks as you go along. Your first grey hair. Your first subscription offer from AARP. Your first offer of a senior discount at Denny’s. Yesterday, I had a mammogram. The technician asked me when I completed menopause. “Uhh, still going through it?” I answered and my vanity pinged as the technician looked surprised. We agreed that in August I would be done with all of that nonsense. I can’t imagine my disappointment if I’m not. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/22 "2019-03-03T22:37:45Z")
As the OP, I’ve found all your answers to be interesting. It’s been mentioned that the word “elderly” evokes an image of a frail, sickly person, probably using a cane. It does with me. I’ve had some health issues in the last year or so, but I’m hardly frail or sickly, and were I referred to as elderly, I would be somewhat offended, though I’d probably laugh about it. My moniker is “XOldiesJock.” In my 48-year career in radio, I worked for two stations that had “Oldies” formats, centering on the music of the 60s and early 70s. This was only 10 years ago. Have you noticed that there are no longer any stations, at least on FM, that play any pre-70s music? Now they focus on mid-70s and mostly 80s. And they are called “Classic Hits,” not “Oldies.” The reason the Oldies format disappeared, and quickly, is because the people listening to it were all over 50 and were no longer a desireable demo for advertisers. (Stuck in their ways; always buy the same brands; skeptical of advertising.) And people today who do listen to music of the 70s and 80s do not want to be listening to “Oldies” because of the “old” connotation. And none of them will ever want to be called “elderly.” ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/23 "2019-03-04T00:43:28Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > 30 years older than whatever your current age is. > > So for me, someone 79 and up is elderly. > > Heh! 79up, the oooooooldcooola I would say 20 years -------- and stay off my lawn you whippersnapper or I’ll shake my cane at you again! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/24 "2019-03-04T02:12:55Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > In this context, I would think of an “elderly” person as someone who was significantly frailer, less vigorous, or more in need of assistance than they used to be, not due to illness or injury but just due to the effects of aging. That would be true of some 62-year-olds, but not others. … Exactly. Denzel Washington is not elderly, but he is 64. Pierce Brosnan, also 64, not. Bruce Springsteen 68, not elderly. OTOH I’ve met plenty of elderly 59 year olds. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/25 "2019-03-04T04:33:29Z")
Too many of you define “elderly” as “whatever the fuck it is, I ain’t there yet”. You’re setting yourself up for future-failure. You’re defining “elderly” as “too goddam old and should be dead and soon will be” or something of that ilk. And make no mistake, unless you die before you get old, you’ll get old. Old should be a good thing, like any other age. Have you not known and admired some 86 year olds, some 91 year olds, maybe a rare 98 year old person? If not, _go find one_. Seriously. Plan on who, and how, you intend to be when _you_ are 86, 93, etc. Plan it as a way of being a person you’d enjoy being. If you don’t cast your eyes down the road, you can’t drive there, basic navigation. Me, I’m gonna be a seriously formidable ancient wise person. I’m planning to live until I’m 110. (If I get there and I feel decently OK I may re-up and shoot for the Guinness Book of Records, what the hell). ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/26 "2019-03-04T15:07:39Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Too many of you define “elderly” as “whatever the fuck it is, I ain’t there yet”. > > You’re setting yourself up for future-failure. You’re defining “elderly” as “too goddam old and should be dead and soon will be” or something of that ilk. And make no mistake, unless you die before you get old, you’ll get old. > > Old should be a good thing, like any other age. Have you not known and admired some 86 year olds, some 91 year olds, maybe a rare 98 year old person? If not, _go find one_. Seriously. Plan on who, and how, you intend to be when _you_ are 86, 93, etc. Plan it as a way of being a person you’d enjoy being. If you don’t cast your eyes down the road, you can’t drive there, basic navigation. Me, I’m gonna be a seriously formidable ancient wise person. I’m planning to live until I’m 110. (If I get there and I feel decently OK I may re-up and shoot for the Guinness Book of Records, what the hell). I’m lucky; no male in my family has ever made it past 75 and most of us are dead by 70. So going by my standard (currently 81) for old is a pretty safe bet I’ll never reach. But a lot is our culture; we don’t respect age and equate it with wisdom – we are more youth and vitality. So while I respect your position I don’t know that I join you in it for an assortment of reasons. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/27 "2019-03-04T16:09:33Z")
Anyone over age 71. Next year, that will change to anyone over 72. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/28 "2019-03-04T16:13:48Z")
Imho 65 because that’s when you’re kicked to the curb and get social security & medicare. The assisted living centers put you on their mailing list. Yikes that’s less than a decade away for me. I got on AARP’s mailing list at 55. Some states define senior citizen at 60 and others 65. [https://elder.findlaw.com/elder-abuse/elder-abuse-overview.html](https://elder.findlaw.com/elder-abuse/elder-abuse-overview.html) > [@](#): > > While federal law does not specifically address elder abuse (although federal legislation funds the National Center on Elder Abuse, or NCEA), all 50 states and the District of Columbia provide APS programs for victims. While senior citizens usually are defined as those 60 (or 65) and older, most laws addressing elder abuse also apply to adults of any age and are similar to child abuse laws. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/29 "2019-03-04T16:40:37Z")
Regardless of the legal definition. Age is just a number. I try to challenge myself and stay engaged in life. Recently started piano lessons. It’s definitely challenging my memory and stiff hands. I finally relented and bought a smartphone. Learned Android and installed Apps. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/30 "2019-03-04T16:40:54Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > This is just one of those little shocks as you go along. > > Your first grey hair. > > Your first subscription offer from AARP. > > **Your first offer of a senior discount at Denny’s.** It’s when you’re _given_ a senior discount _without_ it being offered. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/31 "2019-03-04T19:03:56Z")
I’d say it’s when your doc hands you a DNR form to fill out at your annual “preventive” visit. Personally, that’s the very last thing I intend to think about. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/32 "2019-03-04T19:31:32Z")
Elderly people are constantly telling my mom that they wish they were still her age. They invariably turn out to be younger than her. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/33 "2019-03-04T19:51:35Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > There might have been a time when someone in their 60s would have qualified for “elderly”. But I don’t think the average, say, 65-year-old is who comes to mind when someone thinks of “elderly”. > > I think “elderly” definitely fits someone 80 and up. It probably fits the majority of 70-somethings, but I’m guessing there are quite a few 70-somethings who don’t really ping as “elderly” because they are still active and youthful. There’s definitely a shift in behavior that marks the transition from merely old to actually “elderly”. In my experience, it’s something that happens to people in their mid 70s, and is generally when they go from being more or less normal in terms of activity levels and socialization to having significant physical limitations and acting “elderly”- they quit going and doing stuff in general, and they start to be defined by declining health. I mean, my grandparents were pretty active and normal in their 60s, and in large part, so were my parents and in-laws. But when all of them hit somewhere around 74, they all went to being “old”. I think it has to do with when their physical limitations become serious enough to warrant lifestyle changes- they go from being people who are occasionally limited by their physical condition, to people who are defined by their limitations. That, I think is the inflection point for “older” vs. “elderly”. Of course this will differ depending on the people involved and their issues- some hit it in their early 70s, some in their 60s, and some in their late 70s/early 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/34 "2019-03-04T20:35:42Z")
I don’t think it’s an age as much as it is a state of being. Some 75 year olds are more active and youthful than some 50 year olds. All depends on the condition the person is. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/35 "2019-03-04T21:00:33Z")
Interestingly, “elderly” has undergone a semantic shift in the past several decades: it originally meant something more like “middle-aged”, i.e., not young but not definitely old. You weren’t actually an elder yet, you were elder-ly. E.g., in [this 1909 description of Manet’s portrait of his mother, referring to the sitter as “elderly but not yet old”](https://books.google.com/books?id=IWE5AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA313). (That’s [this painting](https://www.gardnermuseum.org/experience/collection/10734), btw: how old do you think the sitter looks?) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/36 "2019-03-04T22:50:08Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Recently started piano lessons. It’s definitely challenging my memory and stiff hands. I started playing cello on my 70th birthday. Also got married that day. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/37 "2019-03-04T23:09:22Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Interestingly, “elderly” has undergone a semantic shift in the past several decades: it originally meant something more like “middle-aged”, i.e., not young but not definitely old. You weren’t actually an elder yet, you were elder-ly. > > E.g., in [this 1909 description of Manet’s portrait of his mother, referring to the sitter as “elderly but not yet old”](https://books.google.com/books?id=IWE5AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA313). (That’s [this painting](https://www.gardnermuseum.org/experience/collection/10734), btw: how old do you think the sitter looks?) Considering that painting is from 1909 I would guess she is in her mid 50s, although if this was someone from 2019 I would say she is in her early to mid 60s. As far as when elderly starts, I’d say 80 is my arbitrary cutoff. That seems to be the age at which most people seem to no longer be able to bounce back after a major illness despite optimal care and receiving therapy. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/38 "2019-03-05T00:44:12Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Too many of you define “elderly” as “whatever the fuck it is, I ain’t there yet”. … unless you die before you get old, you’ll get old. … If indeed we are using that definition, then no. If “old” is always “my current age plus something” then we _always_ die before we get “old.” We can get academic here, and out of IMHO range. Academically it gets divided up into the “young old” 65-74, the “old” 74-84, and the “oldest old” 85+. Once upon a time a smaller fraction of the population was over 65. But now those just hitting 65 has a big cohort of Boomers … and those before the Boomers, around to compare with. Some still have living parents to contrast with. They see people running for president in their later 70s This was not the referent groups those hitting 65 used to have. I think having lots of folks older than you functioning with high energy impacts whether of not you think you are yet “old.” But yes what age is “old” [depends on the age of the person being asked.](http://money.com/money/4812751/this-is-the-age-when-you-become-old-according-to-four-different-generations/) > [@](#): > > Millennials hold the least generous views on aging, saying that you are old beginning at just 59, according to a new study by U.S. Trust. Older groups, however, put the starting point further out. > > Gen X on average bumps the beginning of old age to 65, while boomers and the silent generation both agreed that age 73 is the start. … > > … For another view, the Japan Gerontological Society and Japan Geriatrics Society released a study earlier this year that concluded the term “old” best applies to those between the ages of 75 and 89. People ages 65 to 74 could be thought of as “pre-old,” while those age 90 and over earn the title “super-old,” they said. … > > … AARP has demonstrated that young people’s sense of what age is “old” can be changed pretty easily. As part of its Disrupt Aging campaign, the group questioned millennials on what age was old and then introduced them to people who were the ages they named. In an entertaining video, you can see how the youths all changed their answers to a much later age because none of the people met the millennials’ expectations of what an old person should look, act or sound like. … ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484/39 "2019-03-05T04:40:36Z")
Now that I’m pushing 60, I will go so far as to say that I’m standing on Old’s front porch, but I’m not planning to ring the doorbell anytime soon. It’s a lovely winter’s evening out, and they probably won’t let me smoke in there anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-elderly/830484.md?page=1)