To ask if you consider 60 elderly

[Sevendaysaweek]

I would say maybe early older adulthood.

No. I think anything over 75 is elderly.

I do think mid 60's is when the healthy or unhealthy lifestyle will show.
60 is not old if you're healthy.
My DM lived on the same street for 47 years like the majority of neighbours they bought age 20 for £2000. All would be 67/68 some are ill some passed away and some nearing 70 look fantastic.
Mainly the active non smokers are healthy. Any who weren't really healthy including mam died or are physically wrecked in their late 60's.

No, it's not elderly...dh will be 60 in January. Granted, he's not the ball of energy he was at 24, but none of us are.

I think 80 seems to he a turning point. Mum definitely started to feel her age last year when she turned 80.

I'm 62, at the top of my game workwise, and am fitter and more active than some of the mumsnetters who are in their 40s and 50s and post about their woolly brains and aches and pains (health issues excepted of course).

I used to think 30 was elderly. Of course I wouldn't now that I passed that milestone a long time ago. It's all relative isn't it.

This! My MIL is in her mid sixties and physically in very poor shape though mentally good but she is in sheltered accommodation and has a very inactive lifestyle. When I’m her age I want to be doing fun stuff and traveling, I can’t picture being that ‘old’ in just 16 years time.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

I guess we need to distinguish eldery from being in poor health

I find it bizarre that so many people can't cope with acknowledgement of their age. Rather than keep changing the word, why not fight the stereotype that old = useless?

I agree very much with these two comments. Even if they don't conscientiously realise it, most of the people posting on here are essentially implying that it's somehow laudable to enjoy good health as you grow older and, conversely, shameful to be not so lucky in your health and physical ability. Disability and frailty are nothing whatsoever to be ashamed of, whatever age you happen to have reached.

Going on a lot of these posts, you'd think that 'elderly' was one of the worst insults you could 'accuse' somebody of; not dissimilar to when pathetic misogynists will spit "You're such a WOMAN" (whether at females or males) with bile and disgust in their voices.

Agree

Obviously, it's preferable to be a well-preserved old person than one in poor health, but health cannot really be the deciding factor in whether a person is elderly, can it? There are children who have cancer, horrible autoimmune diseases and so on - they are still children!

Someone in their 70s or 80s, even if healthy, can only be fit "for their age". All things being equal, they cannot compete with a young person in most arenas.

Ageing is a process. Same with menopause which doesn't visit as suddenly as it seems to. The process starts about 10 years before menopause. This is why some women get a shock when they get a test to see how many viable eggs they have left. I knew a woman who told me (at aged 30) she would put off having children until her 50s because she was in great shape! She was certainly incredibly attractive, but I tried to explain that the body does not work that way. She is now 45 and has no children.

Yes, we have to work longer to get our pension, but that's just economics. After this COVID/Brexit fiasco, we'll probably have to work until we're 80 for our pensions, but that won't mean we're young. Our physiology won't change as a result of an economic decision.

This denial surrounding ageing serves no-one IMO.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8902061/Jenny-Powell-52-admits-mistaken-daughters-SISTER.htmll_

"Every year I get a bit younger': Jenny Powell, 52, admits she is often mistaken for her daughter's SISTER despite 33-year age difference"

^^ She's an attractive woman, but this is just embarrassing...!

@katy1213

No - but if you ask Mumsnetters what a 60+ woman wants for Christmas, it'll be bedsocks and jigsaws. Or possibly a tag to remind you when you forget your own name.

Yes But suddenly that's changed because Joe Biden has been elected MN has done a screeching U turn

[quote iwwntchocolate]@eaglejulesk how many 100 year olds do you know 🥴🥴 come on [/quote]
None where I live. Not surprising though as they only make up 0.02% of population as of 2016.

The number is apparently growing, but many of them will not be living independently so not surprising we don't see much of them.

It's still considered rare enough they get a telegram from the Queen

No! My dp are 67 and 68 and I don't class them as elderly yet

@katy1213

No - but if you ask Mumsnetters what a 60+ woman wants for Christmas, it'll be bedsocks and jigsaws. Or possibly a tag to remind you when you forget your own name.

My DH has bought me a forge for Xmas!

Mind you, I won't be 60 til next year

I think that being "elderly" as opposed to more advanced in years is a state of mind and depends on your circumstances and stage in life.

Most people my age are grandparents, whereas my DD is a student. I made friends with parents of children the same age, so one friendship group is 10 years younger than me, and I share their outlook.

I also have many retired friends, but they also have a young outlook.

Several of my colleagues are well over 60 and several are near 60. A couple are over 70!
They all seem more like middle aged to me.
I see them as equals just like my younger colleagues.
As well as helping look after their grandchildren if they have them; They like stuff like wine, gin, Gary Barlow, Robbie & Take That concerts, traveling to far off destinations, facials & other beautician treatments, just basically enjoying life.

However I've had a couple of patients I would have said are elderly at 60 - they were long term alcoholics with self neglect issues & alcohol related cognitive impairment etc.

Poor health is often just bad luck. I agree that there is now a sort of shame about being old.

In fact I’m almost wishing that the menopause was still kept under wraps, because every day in the papers and magazines there is some woman bragging about looking 30 years younger due to her superior genes and hormones, and various celebrities making out that their baby was conceived naturally at age 72.

I don't, but I think it depends on your outlook on life. MIL constantly goes on about being 'elderly' and how 'we're on a pension' (they're well off) at 72, BUT she's been talking like that for the last 20 years.
Her and her DH do fuck all all day, and before Covid too and are just miserable fuckers who drain your soul.

At her age I hope to still be going on roller coasters.

"Every year I get a bit younger': Jenny Powell, 52, admits she is often mistaken for her daughter's SISTER despite 33-year age difference"

I am only speaking in general terms and am in no way speaking about Jenny's daughter.... but you get people claiming this and assuming that it means they look very young for their age; does it never occur to them that their daughter might just look particularly weather-worn?!

"I'm 60 and she's 30 - but people think we both look 30!!!!" Or, equally possibly, they think that you both look 60 (or older)....

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

"Every year I get a bit younger': Jenny Powell, 52, admits she is often mistaken for her daughter's SISTER despite 33-year age difference"

I am only speaking in general terms and am in no way speaking about Jenny's daughter.... but you get people claiming this and assuming that it means they look very young for their age; does it never occur to them that their daughter might just look particularly weather-worn?!

"I'm 60 and she's 30 - but people think we both look 30!!!!" Or, equally possibly, they think that you both look 60 (or older)....

Siblings generally aren't the same age; if one way or another you could be mistaken for being within say 15 years of each other eg 35 and 50 then guessing sisters rather than mother and daughter wouldn't be too unreasonable.

I’d probably view elderly / old as 80+ - doubtless when I reach 80 + old will be 100 !

No 80s+

Depends on the age you are and the health and well-being of the person who is 60.

I'm 43. So 60 is not elderly to me (anymore) when I was 20 it was freaking ancient!

My 95 year old Great Uncle is elderly but not frail.

I think elderly is anything 30-40 years older than you are!

Not at all. I consider 75+ to be elderly, but even then you get some people in their 80s who are still very fit, healthy, and active.

@SciFiScream I'm 24 but certainly don't consider 64 as elderly