How Old Would You Say Someone “ Elderly “ Is?

[RabbitsRock]

I was shocked to read a review online that described ladies in their 50s or 60s as elderly! It wasn’t possible to comment otherwise I would have posted a stiff objection! I would say late 70s or into the 80s is more like it! I’m 58 & definitely wouldn’t describe myself as elderly!

I'm 67 and absolutely not elderly! I just bought a bicycle and am riding again for the first time in 40 years. I plan on using it everyday to visit my husband in his nursing home. That'll be a good 90 minutes a day cycling, on top of my basic hour a day walking with the dogs.

I live in an area that is a series of hills - I'm either coasting downhill or slogging my heart out going uphill.

It'll be a fair while before I classify myself as elderly!

I’d go with middle aged is 40, elderly 65+

ready to get some hate for the middle aged being 40 on here 🤣 but if you died at 80 that’s middled aged and 80 is definitely very elderly.

40s/50s - middle aged

60+ - old - retirement age (possibly).

70+ elderly

It’s always ten or fifteen years older than yourself.

I'm 68, and DM died recently at 89. I would say I didn't think of her as elderly until this year. She was old, but remained upright, capable of independent life pretty much until her last days. But she was definitely in the process of becoming significantly more frail. We had got to the point that someone needed to be close by "just in case".

I'm not elderly. I'm 75 this year and last night I wanted to photograph the sunset against the water. Unfortunately the access gate had been padlocked and I had to climb first one fence and jump down and then a second fence. I had to do it in reverse to go home. The photos were worth it.

Thing is elderly is an age not a feeling. You could be 100 and feel 18. You could be 18 and feel 95.

it’s not an insult 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'd say over 75, though I might revise that to 80 next year when my husband reaches 75.

70 plus.

70 and over.

This always cracks me up.
I look at it like this, young, middle aged, elderly whatever doesn’t change how you behave or what you are capable of.
However, if you think an average life expectancy is 85 years, so let’s say up to 18 is childhood. So we have 67 year’s average adulthood, so 18 to 40 is the first third we can call this young adult, the middle third 40 to 62 we can call middle age it’s literally the middle. And therefore 62 plus is elderly.
Now I know you are going to claim you aren’t middle aged/elderly, I’m not massively pleased with being middle aged myself but at mid 40s I am definitely in the middle section of my adulthood. Let’s face it you can claim not to be middle aged at 60 but with all the good will and medical care in the world you’re not living to 120 plus

70's and older

80+ is elderly

It's a state of health attributable to ageing (obviously you can be in poor health at any age, but once your health makes you frail and the reason is ageing, you're elderly).

Some people are elderly at 68 and some are not yet elderly at 80, due to different genetics, long term lifestyle, attitude , energy , mental and physical illness history, dumb luck etc. etc.

We have probably all heard of someone in their mid 80s who volunteers to help "elderly" neighbours/ community members with something and it turns out those receiving the help are younger than the volunteer.

Not sure there are enough people living over 100 to class 50s as middle aged tbh.
My mil is 72, I feel like she's almost in the elderly category, however my dm, late 60's doesn't at all feel elderly. I think it depends on the individual to an extent

For me it is 70 and up, and it doesn't depend how spry or frail or stylish or staid they are - to me it is just a less harsh way of saying old.

75+ for me too.

People in their 50s and 60s are middle aged, mostly still working, have teenagers, times have changed.

Do tell us who posted this review, so that we too can boycott whatever it is.

Twenty years older than me.

There were 667,479 deaths in the United Kingdom in 2021 of all ages, so patently millions of people in their sixties weren’t dying in their sleep.

How to avoid " the look" please?

I associate elderly with frailty/serious health conditions associated with age and require carers in some capacity rather than a specific age. I guess anyone 60+ who fits that description I would view as elderly - more likely to be 80+ though. I guess if someone was 85+ I would consider them elderly even if fit, active and independent.

Elderly is 80+ to me - no way would someone in their 50s or 60s be described that way unless they'd lived a very hard life or were very unwell and seemed much older than their years.

66-79 pensioners 80+ elderly.

But your body is 75? I know for sure mine is approaching late 60's and my brain too some days.

Brilliant user name!