We need a new word for between middle aged and old

[PersonalBest]

I'm 60, obviously not middle aged. I don't feel old though. My mother is old, she's 91. Geriatrics has come up with the term "old old" (I think!) because people are living so long. But I think there's a gap now, for those of us who are in-between old and middle aged. Am I young old? Pre old? Post middle aged? Any ideas? A lot of people will say I'm just old, get on with it. Well, I'm not accepting it sorry!

I'm 60 too and feel the same as you!
What about mature?
I feel like I am entering a second more mature adulthood!

I like senior! 😉😊

I consider myself middle aged because I'm halfway to 80 and very much don't expect to make it to that age.
People on here often describe people in their 60s as middle aged, which seems weird.

It would be better to just use the decades instead of the descriptor 'middle/elderly/old age', so 'in her sixties/eighties' etc.

Why the need to categorise? I'd still call 60 middle aged TBH, I'm not far off it and not feeling remotely old yet, it's only in the last few years that I started feeling middle-aged. I do think these things are more a state of mind than a reflection of actual age. I work with a few people 10 or so years older than me who I definitely wouldn't describe as old either, we do make jokes about our middle-aged music tastes etc but that's about it.

There used to be a term - third agers (young, middle, third, fourth). It was common in the charity sector which relied heavily on third ager volunteers delivering services to fourth agers (typically the over 80s).

I have sometimes described myself as an elder, which I quite enjoy doing! Lighthearted of course.

I like this. Third ager. Sounds teenagerish, and I do find I've become a bit mischievous because I care a lot less about things.

I would say being in your 60s is still middle-aged.

In that case, middle age starts in the 20s.

Are you fully expecting to live to 138?!

There doesnt need to be so many categories. How old someone seems really depends on the individual

I’m 64 and don’t consider myself old. I work full time, go hiking, kayaking and paddle boarding regularly and am blessed with good health. My DH is 70 and also not old.

That being said, I’m aware of people the same age who are definitely old, mostly due to ill health, which is sad.

I would describe myself as late middle aged.

My parents, in their 90s, are old.

Im 60. 60 is old.

the problem with mumsnet is that they consider being old a negative thing.

Middle aged and old...

Mold aged.

I too quite like third age.

Young at heart ….

My grandad used to describe himself as an old age perisher!

Sextennial.

I'm 60.

I don't consider myself old - though my hands are a bit more wrinkly than I care them to be 🤣.
I don't think about age - I like current music, varied genres, certainly "with it". I'm active and healthy - maybe that's why.

Do we have to think about age? Really?

Let's just get on with life!

Absolutely this. It's an internalised ageism, I reckon; maybe also an innate fear of getting old and... what will eventually happen after that.

Nobody looks at the Mona Lisa, or the Parthenon, or Stonehenge and has the automatic reaction of thinking or saying "Eeeuuugh - but it's just so ooold!!"

We need to stop being ashamed of or shying away from the great knowledge, experience, wisdom and established confident beauty that can only come with age.

Somebody called Gyles Brandreth middle aged on the other thread - at 77!!

I also don't get people saying "But I don't feeeel middle aged". It doesn't change a simple numerical fact. You can be out running marathons and climbing mountains when you're 90, if you have the requisite health and enthusiasm; that doesn't magically make you 25 again - and what of it that it doesn't?!

I don't think I do consider it negative, I just don't think it's accurate nowadays for a 60 year old working, fit, active person.

There are words: senior, mature, sexagenarian

I have finally become comfortable with calling myself old, though I certainly don’t feel it. I am in my early 70s.
I would describe my mother mid 90s as very old.

I'm 45 and feel I'm already past middle age. No one in my family tree has ever made 90 so not much hope for me.

To answer OP, I think 'OAP' used to be the term but obvs the increase in State Pension Age scuppered that terminology.

Medically, geriatric would be from around 65!

I'm planning on calling myself a sexagenarian, more to horrify the kids and grandkids 😆.

I don't think we should use old until at least after the age you can get the state pension (whilst we still can get it that is).

It's hard enough to define middle age without adding another category. I'm middle aged but have no intention of being 'old' until my body forces me to. Until then, I'm pretending I'm 30 with my activities.