At what age would you describe someone as ‘elderly’?

[surferjet]

Chatting with a friend yesterday & she described her parents as ‘elderly’, even though they’re only early 70’s.
I know 70 isn’t young, but I’d describe anyone over 80 as elderly.
Maybe it’s anyone over 65?

@BusySittingDown my mum has had heating aids for the last few years. She is 56, not sure how she would feel at being described as elderly 😂

My friend and I were having a discussion about this the other day. We were saying how annoying it is that all hearing aid adverts (ie the posters in Boots or Specsavers) all feature older models. They never have people in their 20s, for example.

My friend only found out that she needed hearing aids at 30 and she's now 35. Definitely not elderly. 😂

Heating aids 😂😂 obv I meant HEARING aids!

I’m 65. I can assure you I’m far from “elderly”.

That’s interesting Fairylea
My parents are complete opposite, both 70. My Dad still not retired (works 2-3 days a week). He did a new Postgrad Diploma in his late 60’s!
My Mum walks to and from her gym 4 times a week and is fitter than me. She retired at 60 and is so active. Her Mother is 92 and still lives on her own and does her own shopping (although she walks with a frame so is frail).

blueskiesandforests
MargueritaPink there are specific issues associated with being elderly - why do you want to pretend it doesn't exist or doesn't matter? Do you fight sexism by pretending women don't exist?*

You are spectacularly missing the point. "Elderly" is a meaningless, subjective word being imposed by others. There are issues arising through getting older - but they should be described with reference to that particular fraility- not sweeping nonsense like "at what age would you describe some one as elderly"

Or this gem You are elderly when you are 65 or older

Many complications and issues of being elderly are due to being elderly though - or "typical of late adulthood" if you have a problem with the word elderly. Its just a euphemism though, calling people "individuals in late adulthood" doesn't mean anything different than "elderly people". Not being allowed to mention the word elderly doesn't help anyone, it just means either something pertinent can't be mentioned, or that euphemisms are used. It's like suggesting teething and toilet training and learning to talk and sleep issues and growth spurts and a million other issues related to childhood need to be discussed without using the word child or adolescent. Or issues around maternity care and leave and employment issues faced by women perceived to be of child baring age have to be discussed without using the word woman.

www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j4478/rr

Agreed with the majority, anything over 80. My DGM is only 74 and she doesn’t strike me as elderly in the slightest.

75 plus

I'd probably say over 80.

Although my mum is in her mid 80s (and in very good health for her age) and doesn't feel that she is an elderly person, albeit she accepts that objectively she must be.

I guess when they become frail. It's different for each person.

My mum was so hurt when she overheard a young doctor describe her as an 'elderly patient' . She was only 57!

I think perhaps the demographic of the mumsnet site itself comes into these kinds of threads. Most of us seem to be in our late 30s -50s. No one wants to think we’re approaching old age! If you ask someone in their late teens / early 20s they would probably have no issue with describing someone at 65 / 70 as elderly!

I am coming up to 64 and most certainly don't consider myself elderly. My oh is 65 and has never been fitter, cycling over 100 miles a week. I think posters who consider people in their mid 60's as old are probably quite young (are you?). In fact I find the term 'elderly' verging on the offensive and patronising.
I remember when Elvis died, I couldn't understand the fuss (I was obv. not a fan) because he was 42, and to me seemed an old man anyway. Callow youth that I was.

It's like suggesting teething and toilet training and learning to talk and sleep issues and growth spurts and a million other issues related to childhood need to be discussed without using the word child or adolescent. Or issues around maternity care and leave and employment issues faced by women perceived to be of child baring age have to be discussed without using the word woman

It is nothing like that. Within a range of ages there are milestones for children's development and progression of pregnancies. If those milestones are not achieved by the latest reasonable age there is a problem- e.g. most girls will have had a period by age 16.

This thread was premised on the question "at what age is someone elderly". The OP gave no indication of having thought what "elderly" means beyond she apparently thinks there is some sort of magic date where a person becomes "elderly" (whatever that means)

Other posters are picking ages at random and declaring that is "elderly". Others are using "elderly" as a synonym for frail, or having special needs.

MargueritaPink people are not using elderly as a synonym for having special needs in the general sense you imply - that's obtuse. Elderly is used to refer to a group of the population who's age is directly linked to their frailty or special needs. Its a specific population group where age and health and other problems are linked. As almost everyone has said.

@Fairylea

My mum is 70. She is very much an “elderly” 70. She walks and looks about 80. She has lots of health problems and is disabled by them. No one would hesitate to describe her as elderly if they saw her; she looks very old and frail. I think once people get to 65+ their health really starts to show one way or another.

Agree 100% with this. Although, you are bound to get a few people claiming their nana of 103 does abseiling and paragliding, and runs 3 marathons a week, and could 'outrun them any day of the week' ... Or they have a 91 y.o. great aunt who cycles a 197 mile round-trip to work every day, and would jolly well give you a piece of her mind if you even dared to suggest she was elderly.

The fact is though - as you say in your last paragraph - that most peoples health will start to go downhill by the age of 65. Some even at 60. (Some people even start to see a decline in their health when they hit their mid 50's...)

Like I said, it's odd that some people are so offended by being called elderly at 65, 70, 75, 80 etc... Because they ARE elderly.

I'd probably say 80+. But then I know someone who is 75,but seems quite 'elderly',yet a 91 year old that I know,seems anything but!

I described myself as elderly the other day when telling dd to help her elderly mother. Im 43 but I do have a theory I am ageing at a faster rate than normal and 1 human year =1.5 xmaspostmanbos years. This age reflects my aching joints and general love of things like garden centres, teatowels and early nights. I am also slightly deaf and refuse a hearing aid insisting that people are mumbling and should speak up.

Elderly is used to refer to a group of the population who's age is directly linked to their frailty or special needs

And one poster who works for a health care trust has said her trust no longer use the term because it is so imprecise as can be seen by the many definitions on this thread.

R U guys joking? Look at the perimenop threads on here. Women claiming their health went into sharp decline before 40 is very ordinary.

I work for the local authority and we have to class anyone over 60 as elderly but agree that this is ridiculous!

Really? I am 67 next week and I haven't even got grey hair yet.

I work for the local authority and we have to class anyone over 60 as elderly but agree that this is ridiculous!

For what purposes? And what does identifying a group of people as "elderly" achieve which would not be achieved by identifying the same group as "60 and over"?. You get a bus pass when you are 60.

Im not 60 but there is no way I'll be classing myself as elderly when I am, if someone from a LA calls me that they'll get a very sharp response.

Which stupid person decided that?