Is 55 years old, an elderly person? (grandparent, chores, adults, grandpa)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Status:
"Mistress of finance and foods."
(set 14 days ago)
Location: Coastal Georgia
49,972 posts, read 63,287,500 times
Reputation: 92424
I have never seen the word elderly used in businesses offering a discount. The term Senior is used.
I'm 68 and you better not refer to me as elderly for at least another 10 years or so.
My husband works in a store, and got a call from a customer, who asked for " the distinguished, elderly gentleman." He was crushed. He was only 64, and very fit and healthy.
I'm in a class with a 90 years old, no not PE, so I think twice about calling somebody elderly until they get to 90. She still drives. 55 is still very young.
My mother is elderly not me & I am in my 60's. But I do see people or folks in photos who look "old" & find they are years younger than me! I suspect you are "elderly" when you hesitate to buy green bananas...
My mother is elderly not me & I am in my 60's. But I do see people or folks in photos who look "old" & find they are years younger than me! I suspect you are "elderly" when you hesitate to buy green bananas...
Lol, you saying they might not make it to see them turn yellow.
This thread has shown (as if any proof were needed) that defining "elderly" is relative and depends on one's vantage point and outlook.
Several posters have claimed that middle age lasts until age 70. I am 72 and I think that's a ridiculous claim and bespeaks denial. Let's face it, 70 is old, old, old. And it's not a question of how any given individual functions. I function quite well. I use extension ladders to do exterior painting and get up on roofs, I jog on the treadmill at least three times a week, and I almost always walk if my errand is one mile or less away. Driving at night is no problem and driving on the freeways is no problem. But I am most certainly a lot more than two years out of "middle age".
My hearing is so bad I have hearing aids. My vision is getting worse. My beard has been completely white for over a decade. It's also been a decade or more since I've been able to sleep eight hours without having to get up to go to the bathroom. Why delude myself and live in denial? I am old, very old. And it sucks and I hate it. I hate the beard (but I can solve that by being clean-shaven), I hate my hearing, I hate the more frequent need to use the bathroom. Why pretend that reality is something different than what it is?
I'm 69. I honestly didn't know that I'm old old old! That's news to me! I don't consider myself old old old. And I'm definitely not elderly. I'm always mistaken for being younger. No white hair either.
I'm in my late 40s and my kids have told me they think I'm ancient. *lol*
It's all perspective.
When I was six, twelve year olds were the old kids.
When I was a teenager, anyone not wearing current styles was old; pretty much mid twenties.
When I was working my first job in my mid twenties, I did treadmills for executive physicals. I noticed how rare it was to find a good looking man over forty. Most were going downhill already.
In my early fifties, screening patients, I was shocked to find some of the really old looking people I was interviewing were my age!
Now, I see old people as those with a perpetual frowns and matching attitude (and there's' a wide latitude on physical ages for this) and the elderly are those shuffling along that the years have not treated kindly.
Age is a sliding scale and as I keep aging, the goalposts keep moving for me in my mind. To a unbiased observer, those goalposts haven't changed at all though.
"Elderly" and "senior citizen" on this board seem to have completely different meanings.
"Senior citizen" generally applies to everyone above some sort of age threshold, commonly set at 55.
"Elderly" seems to imply either a condition, frail and sick, or those above a further age cutoff, probably 70+.
Many 70+ year olds are fairly healthy and vital. At 80, this number will drop off substantially. I'd consider virtually anyone over 80 elderly, as it is above the expected life expectancy in most areas. I'd also consider anyone over 50 or so who is frail or chronically ill to be elderly.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
