In your opinion, how old is 'elderly'?

[CustardySergeant]

I'm watching BBC news and their report from an ICU in which "most patients are elderly". I think there is quite a difference of opinion on this on MN no doubt related to the age of the poster. I'm just curious and also wonder whether calling someone elderly necessarily has other connotations than simple age.

I'm an HCA, I tend to say 'elderly' rather than just old is 85+.

However some people are like an 'elderly' person from a much younger age, due to their physical & mental health issues.

I think therefore that 'elderly' is a subjective term.

80+

My MIL used to say 50 though! She made herself old though because of this.

" I'm assuming you mean State Pension and your use of such ageist language was accidental. @Gwenhwyfar"

The word old is not ageist. Some people are old. You have to accept that.
The state pension, formerly known as the old age pension, and the bus pass are given to old people. They are age-dependent, not ageist!

80+

From a age perspective 75+ I suppose but it depends on the person. MIL & FIL are both in their seventies now but I never think of them as elderly and nowhere near what I would consider ready to leave us yet.

I would say as a general rule, around 80 but then it depends so much on the individual in reality. I think it depends on health and outlook so maybe 70-75 would be a fair cutoff in terms of stats or policy as illnesses that occur more commonly after say, 60, can really take it out of people.

it just varies so much. My mum, say, is early 70s and leads an active, adventurous and sociable life, engaged with the world.

I used to know one man when I was a student barmaid who lived in an old people's home, came in the pub for his half of bitter every day before shuffling off to the shops. His only real topic of conversation was his past. I don't think he had any serious physical health conditions (fairly sure he would have said as he was very open talking about himself) and I assumed he was over 80. He was just turned 60. My 60 year old boss runs to work and back most days.

The state pension, formerly known as the old age pension,
Actually the State pension was introduced as a contributory benefit (National Insurance) in the late 40s. The Old Age Pension was a temporary benefit to cover those who were too old to have paid any contributions and when I worked in a benefit office in 1975 the people receiving that benefit were in their 80s.

I’d say “elderly” is the opposite of “youth” and therefore the age at which you lose the element of youth. We have a 90 year old next door neighbour who is as mentally as good as anyone ( in fact she is probably a bit nimbler than me if anything.) However although active and holidays away four times a year (!) she gets stiff she has pains in the way young people don’t. So although she would pass for 40 in terms of speech, memory and banter she’s elderly physically.

Captain, look at how it's defined in the dictionary:
OAP
(oʊ eɪ piː )
Word forms: plural OAPs
COUNTABLE NOUN
An OAP is a person who is old enough to receive an old age pension from the government. OAP is an abbreviation for 'old age pensioner'.

Where I live, it's definitely used for people who have reached state pension age. When I was younger that was 60 for women and 65 for men though it's changed now.

80
Although my neighbour was 95 and still doing daily yoga, driving to the shops and followed the England cricket team all around the world.

It varies a lot - some people are 'elderly' at 70, and at one time I imagine that was 'elderly', but I just think of it as 'older' and 80+ as elderly.

I'd have said 70+.
Elderly is a fact of life, just like being middle aged.

It's not a reflection on someone's activity levels or fitness or cognitive abilities.

Someone can be frail or confused in middle age or elderly as fit as a fiddle. It doesn't change that one is elderly and the other is middle aged.

@Gwenhwyfar I know how the term is used but that is the history of it.

Not under 75.

People of retirement age clearly cannot be called middle-aged, however fit they are. So 65+ is I believe used as elderly in the medical profession, but there is also the 'frail elderly' who have health conditions or 'late elderly' at extreme ends of the age bracket.

I have fit, active relatives of 70-75 who are very sensibly keeping themselves isolated, unlike those I see trailing round the supermarket on a daily basis, or even those younger than 65 who absolutely appear to have health conditions or obesity.

Better safe than sorry.

From a health POV 75+

www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/clinical-policy/older-people/improving-care-for-older-people/

70, or maybe 75 plus