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When does one become "elderly?" (Original Post) lillypaddle Jun 2019 OP
5-10 years from now. unblock Jun 2019 #1
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RKP5637 Jun 2019 #3
aha! We've got a winner! lillypaddle Jun 2019 #6
ROFL! 50 Shades Of Blue Jun 2019 #7
Thank You !! IADEMO2004 Jun 2019 #14
Fabulous response. NT emmaverybo Jun 2019 #32
Oh yeah! MuseRider Sep 2019 #57
IMO it depends how you feel. I've seen/known people ages younger than me that really act RKP5637 Jun 2019 #2
At 64 trev Jun 2019 #4
80 and up Freddie Jun 2019 #5
Honestly, I'm not gonna make it that long lillypaddle Jun 2019 #9
Yes. I read that average age for marybourg Jun 2019 #16
Actually, late middle age is a term that has been coined based on responses to a poll in emmaverybo Jun 2019 #34
Haven't you heard, 60 is the new 40! Laffy Kat Jun 2019 #35
You ARE elderly left-of-center2012 Jun 2019 #8
Well, that wasn't very nice lillypaddle Jun 2019 #10
Bull Hockey! redstatebluegirl Jun 2019 #40
they are still 'elderly' left-of-center2012 Jun 2019 #41
Clearly, the majority of seniors, at least here marybourg Jun 2019 #42
Or maybe ... left-of-center2012 Jun 2019 #44
when you need assisatnce from others for daily care... samnsara Jun 2019 #11
im 69..pretty fit but i play the elderly card once innawhile :) samnsara Jun 2019 #12
Oh gosh, thought I was the only one. I adopt the look, the vocal mannerisms, verbal hesitancies emmaverybo Jun 2019 #36
you will know it rampartc Jun 2019 #13
My dad fought "being old" FIERCELY Freddie Jun 2019 #15
Only when you start thinking you are...nt SWBTATTReg Jun 2019 #17
You become elderly when you start forgetting things that you never forgot before. stopbush Jun 2019 #18
My parents are 90 ad 92. My father refers to those of us in our 60's skylucy Jun 2019 #19
Hey, thanks lillypaddle Jun 2019 #23
10 years older than I am at any given moment! dawg day Jun 2019 #20
I'm 76. I just finished a 5 mile hike in the woods today. 200 ft. climb. 3Hotdogs Jun 2019 #21
Good for you! lillypaddle Jun 2019 #22
Good genes. 3Hotdogs Jun 2019 #45
Some OTHER time!!! elleng Jun 2019 #24
I'm going with the 90s lettucebe Jun 2019 #25
Kept trying to get mother at 90 to have "someone in" just a few days a week I'd tell her. She emmaverybo Jun 2019 #39
I'll be 90 in November, so I guess that qualifies me as Elderly katmondoo Sep 2019 #56
At least 10 years older than me. Whatever that is at any given time. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2019 #26
Apparently for me it was 37yo woodsprite Jun 2019 #27
I know! I was 36 when my first was born and 40 with my second. Laffy Kat Jun 2019 #37
I remember feeling highly indignant at the ... 3catwoman3 Sep 2019 #58
57. According to the kids down the road i caught throwing rocks from the road into my yard. Kurt V. Jun 2019 #28
LOL nt lillypaddle Jun 2019 #31
I'm 65 and my grade school nieces and roody Jun 2019 #29
I prefer "senior citizen"... VarryOn Jun 2019 #30
I'm 73, going on 16. FuzzyRabbit Jun 2019 #33
When you find yourself sitting with friends Doreen Jun 2019 #38
I have a vow I try very hard to keep. 3catwoman3 Sep 2019 #59
It's beyond the beyond Lulu KC Jun 2019 #43
I'm 70, clearly a senior citizen PoindexterOglethorpe Jun 2019 #46
I think "elderly" for me is going to happen next February! Tracer Jun 2019 #47
Yep, it happens all right! nt lillypaddle Jun 2019 #48
I dunno. I'm already 2.3 years past my 'sell by' date. trof Jun 2019 #49
That number is based on life expectancy at birth. PoindexterOglethorpe Sep 2019 #50
"Old" doesn't seem old any more. The Velveteen Ocelot Sep 2019 #51
Ten years past your current age. nt doc03 Sep 2019 #52
My dad told me not to grow old lordsummerisle Sep 2019 #53
I just got out of a nursing/rehab home for the second time in a year. Frustratedlady Sep 2019 #54
always 15 years older than me Skittles Sep 2019 #55
65 trof Sep 2019 #60
I'm 54 and I wear my mowhawk and dye I_UndergroundPanther Sep 2019 #61

unblock

(51,974 posts)
1. 5-10 years from now.
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 03:44 PM
Jun 2019

it's always 5-10 years from now.

unless discounts are involved. then it's me, me, me!!!

RKP5637

(67,032 posts)
2. IMO it depends how you feel. I've seen/known people ages younger than me that really act
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 03:45 PM
Jun 2019

elderly and have an elderly mind set.

trev

(1,480 posts)
4. At 64
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 03:46 PM
Jun 2019

I don't think I'm elderly, but my body is certainly deteriorating.

I do like the Senior discounts I get, though.

Freddie

(9,232 posts)
5. 80 and up
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 03:46 PM
Jun 2019

When my parents went into assisted living, Mom was 79 and Dad was 86. Mom had a lot more mobility issues than Dad. One of the nurses told me they rarely had residents under 80.

lillypaddle

(9,580 posts)
9. Honestly, I'm not gonna make it that long
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 03:47 PM
Jun 2019

So if I'm going to squeeze elderly in there, it probably better be soon.

marybourg

(12,540 posts)
16. Yes. I read that average age for
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 04:13 PM
Jun 2019

single women to go into assisted living is 86. For single men, 82. But "elderly " is 65, whether we like it or not. Otherwise we'd still be middle-aged?? How does that make sense? Are we going to live 'til 130?

emmaverybo

(8,144 posts)
34. Actually, late middle age is a term that has been coined based on responses to a poll in
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 06:00 PM
Jun 2019

Britain in which respondents didn’t by and large think of people in their sixties as elderly despite legal definitions.

Laffy Kat

(16,356 posts)
35. Haven't you heard, 60 is the new 40!
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 06:09 PM
Jun 2019

In which case I'm a 42-year-old pup. Honestly, some days I still feel 20 and other days I feel my age.

left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)
8. You ARE elderly
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 03:47 PM
Jun 2019

Most developed world countries have accepted the chronological age of 65 years as a definition of 'elderly' or older person ...
World Health Organization

marybourg

(12,540 posts)
42. Clearly, the majority of seniors, at least here
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 09:27 PM
Jun 2019

On DU don’t buy it. So many of us will be dying in “late middle age”.

emmaverybo

(8,144 posts)
36. Oh gosh, thought I was the only one. I adopt the look, the vocal mannerisms, verbal hesitancies
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 06:12 PM
Jun 2019

when I want a pass for missing an appointment, being my usual distracted self in a public situation
etc. Just happens. I can’t control it. I’ve been noticeably absent-minded since a child, but now
people get helpful.

Freddie

(9,232 posts)
15. My dad fought "being old" FIERCELY
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 04:10 PM
Jun 2019

They were having trouble with meals and I told him the local Senior Center served an inexpensive hot lunch every day. “That’s for old people!” He was 85.

stopbush

(24,378 posts)
18. You become elderly when you start forgetting things that you never forgot before.
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 04:20 PM
Jun 2019

What was the question?

skylucy

(3,734 posts)
19. My parents are 90 ad 92. My father refers to those of us in our 60's
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 04:23 PM
Jun 2019

as "you young people". You're almost 72? I keep changing what I consider middle aged. I've moved it up to age 70. So there...lillypaddle...You are officially middle aged.

lillypaddle

(9,580 posts)
23. Hey, thanks
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 05:16 PM
Jun 2019

but I have a feeling the heart failure and COPD have moved me up closer to elderly than middle aged.

dawg day

(7,947 posts)
20. 10 years older than I am at any given moment!
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 04:34 PM
Jun 2019

It was the same for "middle-aged". I never did get to be middle-aged, and I don't think I'll get to be elderly either!

3Hotdogs

(12,209 posts)
21. I'm 76. I just finished a 5 mile hike in the woods today. 200 ft. climb.
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 04:36 PM
Jun 2019

I only fell down once because of slipping in the mud.

I put 45k miles on my car every year. I used to put 50k average but I am slowing down a bit. August is from N.J. to Georgia.

I drop my housemate off at the senior center. She is 71.

I don't go there. Them people are old.

3Hotdogs

(12,209 posts)
45. Good genes.
Sat Jun 15, 2019, 07:34 AM
Jun 2019

Smoking: marij., rarely.

Drinks: Average 2 or three beers every two or three weeks, when out with friends.

Overeating: Yes, I am about 30 lbs overweight. That happened when metabolism changed.



Genes: My father died at 84 after smoking 3 packs of unfiltered "Luckies" per day. Started at age 14. Throat cancer.

My mother passed at age 98. All of my relatives made their 80's. The youngest is 90 in September.

Genes: I didn't end up being too good looking and I was small and skinny as a kid. But, I'm still here.

lettucebe

(2,336 posts)
25. I'm going with the 90s
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 05:34 PM
Jun 2019

Once you reach 90, yeah, you are officially a member of the elderly club. Right now you are still a spring chicken!

emmaverybo

(8,144 posts)
39. Kept trying to get mother at 90 to have "someone in" just a few days a week I'd tell her. She
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 06:23 PM
Jun 2019

would say archly, “don’t you think it’s a bit premature?”
For Gawd’s sake I cried out one night, “You are NINETY years old.”
She pursed her lips cutely and looked down her nose at me, “You’re getting rather long in the tooth yourself,” she said.
God, I miss her.
Now SHE was elderly. Me, I’m just getting a bit long in the tooth.

woodsprite

(11,854 posts)
27. Apparently for me it was 37yo
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 05:46 PM
Jun 2019

Last edited Fri Jun 14, 2019, 07:31 PM - Edit history (1)

They had me labeled as “elderly” in the maternity ward 😏.

Truthfully, I like to think that whatever age I'm currently at is middle aged (that would be 56 this year) 😊

Laffy Kat

(16,356 posts)
37. I know! I was 36 when my first was born and 40 with my second.
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 06:12 PM
Jun 2019

I was considered a high-risk, "geriatric" mother.

3catwoman3

(23,819 posts)
58. I remember feeling highly indignant at the ...
Sat Sep 28, 2019, 06:01 PM
Sep 2019

...term “elderly primigravida” during my first pregnancy at age 38. I was 41 with my second.

Seriously, they need to come up with something better than that. There is “advanced maternal age,” which a little bit better, but not much.

Let’s hear it for what I call “mature mothers.”

Kurt V.

(5,624 posts)
28. 57. According to the kids down the road i caught throwing rocks from the road into my yard.
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 05:49 PM
Jun 2019

They said "%#*& you old man"

 

VarryOn

(2,343 posts)
30. I prefer "senior citizen"...
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 05:51 PM
Jun 2019

"Elderly" connotes to me dimished physical (and possubly mental) abilities. As for age, I wouldnt consider anyone less than 75 to be elderly.

Doreen

(11,686 posts)
38. When you find yourself sitting with friends
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 06:14 PM
Jun 2019

one day and suddenly realize you are talking about your health problems and also realize you all do it every time you meet. It was 50 for me. Kind like a passage into elderism.

Lulu KC

(2,547 posts)
43. It's beyond the beyond
Fri Jun 14, 2019, 09:32 PM
Jun 2019

64 is late morning, 65 is noon, then we move to early afternoon. Still ages until sunset comes.
80 used to sound old, but now it's just, oh, sunset. The night is still young.
Elderly is 95.

PoindexterOglethorpe

(25,746 posts)
46. I'm 70, clearly a senior citizen
Tue Jun 18, 2019, 04:53 PM
Jun 2019

but a very long way from elderly.

Elderly, to me, is less a function of age than of attitude, health, and interacting with the world. People are often shocked when I tell them how old I am, even though I think I pretty much look my age. But I don't act it, and I apparently have a liveliness they don't expect.

That said, I frequently ask for help in lifting or carrying something, and people are always happy to assist. Which is quite nice.

Tracer

(2,769 posts)
47. I think "elderly" for me is going to happen next February!
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 10:45 AM
Jun 2019

That's when I turn 80.

Somebody please tell me how that happened?

trof

(54,255 posts)
49. I dunno. I'm already 2.3 years past my 'sell by' date.
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 07:20 PM
Jun 2019

Average lifespan for a white male in my county is 75.5 years.
I'm 77.8 and livin' on borrowed time, I guess.

I did have three 'incidents'(?) where I could have easily bought the farm in my 20s, so I guess I'm REALLY lucky to still be on the green side of the turf.



PoindexterOglethorpe

(25,746 posts)
50. That number is based on life expectancy at birth.
Sat Sep 28, 2019, 04:01 PM
Sep 2019

Not how much longer you should live from now.

A quick check on the internet shows that you will probably live another 10 years.

Take good care of yourself!

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
51. "Old" doesn't seem old any more.
Sat Sep 28, 2019, 04:03 PM
Sep 2019

I was looking at some old photos of my grandmother when she was my age, and she looked at least 20 years older than I do now. I think these days we are holding up better than people used to.

Frustratedlady

(16,254 posts)
54. I just got out of a nursing/rehab home for the second time in a year.
Sat Sep 28, 2019, 04:21 PM
Sep 2019

The first time, I kept telling my kids to "get me outta here, I don't belong!" When I was in rehab/skilled nursing, most of the people visited among themselves and we became friends. After that, I was put on the nursing home floor and most of the people sat and stared ahead at nothing...no comments...no response to human outreach at all.

This time, I was again in rehab after a broken ankle and went to the dining room one time! The room was full of non-verbal/reacting people and I asked to be served in my room. Three weeks later, I was dismissed to go home. Even the kids saw I didn't belong among those at that stage in their lives..

I'm over 80, but certainly not elderly. If I could stop breaking my body, I'd be 33 again. That's where my brain is stuck.

I_UndergroundPanther

(12,450 posts)
61. I'm 54 and I wear my mowhawk and dye
Sat Sep 28, 2019, 10:13 PM
Sep 2019

It a rainbow of colors. I definitely am not elderly. Most my freinds are younger than me. I find talking to people my age often aren't into what I like to do or talk about.

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