Shocked at the term "elderly" for a 56 year old.

[Blondiebeachbabe]

Just watching a crime documentary, and the murderer was a 56 year old woman. The Cop talking to the camera, was saying how he couldn't believe that the murderer turned out to be an elderly lady. WTF? I'm 54 and don't feel "elderly" whatsoever. Whilst my own kids are adults, I know plenty of people in their 50's who still have kids at school!

What age do you think constitutes elderly? For me, I'd say 70+ (whilst acknowledging that many people that age are perfectly fit, well and able).

Cops talk a lot of shite.

What an idiot! I'm nowhere near 50s yet and I think that's insulting. Elderly to me is 80 plus and that doesn't even apply to all 80 somethings.

I think your making the same mistake that I used to do with life expectancy.

Whenever you hear that the average life expectancy for a particular time or place is extremely low, it doesn't mean that most adults died in their 40s or 50s. It means that infant mortality was very high and that brings the average life expectancy down.

There have always been plenty of old people in every society.

Going back to the original point, I'm 57 and nowhere near to being elderly. 50s is definitely middle aged.

you're making 🤦‍♀️

I thought I'd got rid of all my typos before posting.

You are hilarious!! 🤣 I should ask myself that and quite possibly yes as am menopausal!! <that's my excuse> 😀

@CurlyhairedAssassin good point well made. I always thought police officers weren't the brightest of the bunch but luckily they seem to have tenacity! 🤞

To me, elderly means not just age in years, but more or less doddery, walks a bit bent with a stick, etc.

To me you can be pretty old without conjuring up ‘elderly’.

I've always thought of elderly as meaning frail more than exclusively being an age thing. My gran is 96 still very active, goes to play darts twice a week "with the lads", brisk dog walks every day, kept a horse and rode daily until recently, has a very healthy veg garden which she manages herself... I don't consider her elderly at all. But my grandma-in-law is 75 and quite frail after a long illness, needs quite a bit of help with day to day things etc. I see her as elderly despite being 20 years younger than Gran!

Saying that 50's is definitely not elderly, unless she was extremely unwell and fragile and seemed a lot older than her years as a result.

Elderly gets older as you get older!!

it's a really individual thing, as @Shinyeyes said about her Dad, not elderly at 84, but suddenly so a year later. One of my Aunts is 96, until she had an illness she wasn't elderly at all, still doing all her own shopping, cooking, housework, literallly running up the stairs, able to just step up to stand on a dining chair etc but now after having been in hospital & resting up while recuperating at home she's now 'elderly'. My mum is in her 80's and does everything for herself, still drives (though is losing her confidence with that) etc but she's not as sharp as she once was. She's starting to seem 'elderly'

I'm 55, I'm definitely feeling 'older', but definitely not elderly! & if it wasn't for my knees having packed up & an accident that's greatly reduced the use of my arms & strength in arms and legs I'm sure I wouldn't be feeling even 'older'

I wouldn't test me on the murder aspect. There are still people on my list!

I live in a place where we get a ferry to the mainland. I was 60 last month and am now entitled to free passenger travel, still have to pay the exorbitant car price unfortunately.
The form says "Elderly Ferry Travel Card"
Filled it in and got my passport style photo done for it, somehow my Mum sneaked into the picture and is looking back at me.
Gutted on both points.

It makes me laugh to think Kylie Minogue now qualifies fora McCarthy and Stone retirement apartment! 55 plus being classed as elderly is ridiculous, but if you think about it, psychologically we are programmed to think it is, funeral plans for the 50-80 bracket advertised frequently, 50 plus year olds on these adverts have bubble perms and comfortable slacks and get excited about a free pen from said funeral company, it’s drilled into us that 50-80 year olds are all one humongous mass.

50 plus year olds on these adverts have bubble perms and comfortable slacks and get excited about a free pen from said funeral company…

@Devonisheaven 🤣🤣🤣 That made me laugh out loud, you’re so right!

I’m 56 & my life expectancy is another 30 years. I’ve a long time to be elderly

I'm 64 next week and don't even feel middle aged yet.

Haha, yes, the cop clearly has no clue...

Reminds me of being pregnant at 38 and being called a geriatric mother! 6 years to go before I'm elderly! Cheeky. I think 80+ is when you may be considered elderly, but even then it kind of goes together with "infirm" to me, so unless you are infirm I probably wouldn't think of you as being elderly. Just older.

Care of the elderly wards in the NHS were generally 65 plus when i was working in the 80's/90's/2000's but it was perhaps more common for men in particular to die at or before retirement age, whereas now we would think 65 is young.Personally i prefer the term older adults as it is more accurate these days- you can be physically and mentally frail in your 60's or still working when you are in your 70's and 80's.

Ten years older than me!
<gavel!>

I think it changes the older you get ha 🤣. I would say over 80.

At work when aged 55 I was called elderly by an HR Manager in the NHS! I did tell her she was wrong.

Im 62 and my DD just left school last year! No one under 75 is 'elderly'.

To me elderly is a state of mind (a 56 yr old could act elderly) but 56 is not elderly in itself. Perhaps late seventies but even then I’m
loathe to describe anyone as elderly purely based on their age.

Really? 55 has never been retirement age, has it?
There’s no way anyone under 70 could be described as elderly, it’s ridiculous.

56 elderly? Bloody hell I'm 55 and certainly don't think I am! Even my husband of 71 isn't elderly. We still laugh at farts ffs!

My FIL who died at 95 was elderly.

Oh come on, it is quite funny! I'm 58, and very happily refer to myself as "an old bat". Loads of people retire in their 50s, so we do have to accept that we are in the final stage of life.