To not see 70 as elderly

[Ibeliveinyou]

I don’t know if if it’s because my parents are now that age but I just don’t see a 70 as old.

Like you OP I don't. If anyone dies in their 70s I consider it an early death.

It is, you are a pensioner. But it doesn't mean you have to act that age :-) I think its crazy how different people age. Some people seem "elderly" from about 60+ and other people never seem elderly!
I have two grandmother's the same age, they are both 93.
One of them is very small and frail, deaf, lost all of her independence, looks elderly, white hair, false teeth etc. She has always seemed elderly to me.
My other grandmother who is also 93 is fit, healthy, a good weight, still has her own teeth and naturally blonde hair. Ore covid she went to the pub a few times a week, goes all over the place on the bus shopping and seeing friends, swears and can be quite vulgar sometimes! She is hilarious! Both the same age, both totally different.

But average life expectancy is 82, so 70 is only 12 years before death :-/

@AnnaMagnani

Absolutely depends on the person. But perhaps getting to the age where things can change from fit and well to frail very fast with one illness.

My DF was fighting fit at 73 and clearly elderly at 74. It just took one illness and he never really recovered.

I agree, Anna. My Dad was similar, in great shape at 70 but had a few health problems mid-70’s that really slowed him down, it happened really fast. He’s now in his 80’s and frail.

So even though life expectancy has increased, we have to be realistic.

Yes it's elderly, your bodies bits and pieces have been going non stop for 70 years!!

@HopeForTheBestExpectTheWorst

It doesn't have anything to do with expectations or interpretations or fitness/energy levels or anything else - it's basically the last decade of the average (UK) person's life, of course it's bloody elderly!!

But I think “elderly” as a word does have connotations which we associate with more than just age. If your friend told you their next door neighbour was an elderly lady and you saw the neighbour one day and it turned out to be Joanna Lumley - who’s 75 - the entire image you had in your head would change (and not just because it’s Joanna Lumley.) “Elderly” to most people brings to mind somebody quite physically and frail, using a walking stick or frame, not in great health and so on, and I think it does to some extent describe a persona, activity levels and appearance rather than numerical age.

Elderly is more of a state than an age right? My nanna is 90 and has only recently slowed and encountered mobility problems. She's definitely elderly now but certainly wasn't at 70.

My Mil died at 61 she always seemed elderly, I had known her since she was 48 and she acted as if she was older so maybe elderly is a state of mind? although mil had a hard life and I think it caught up with her

Yes, it's elderly, whether you are very active and healthy or the opposite.

To me elderly suggests frail with ill health and/or much older - 80s.

70 is an older person but not what I'd call elderly usually.
There may be some 80y who are more frail and generally in poor health, but many aren't. Some 70y are still working. Many are still fit, well and active and can expect to live more than another decade.

I do think perception of age changes as you grow older yourself though. The younger you are the more likely you'll consider someone in their early 70s elderly I suspect.

My FIL died in April. He was early 70s. Before his illness he wasn't what you'd called elderly. An older person yes. Elderly, not really no.
We definitely feel he was taken far too early and should have had at least another 10 years with us.

My two nanas who died last summer were early 90s. I did consider them elderly.

You personally are never old or elderly, its others. My mum always spoke about the old lady next door, she was younger than my mum !

When was the word 'elderly' redefined as older than 'old'?
Elderly comes first, from 65-75 or so, then after that, old age.

You only don't see it as elderly if you think elderly is some sort of insult, or a bad thing to be.
70 IS elderly whether you think of it that way. WHO defines elderly as anyone over 65.

Oh that's interesting, I definitely think OAP just means anyone over 65, who I would also class as "old" but I would reserve elderly more for the over 80s.

65 is the marker for elderly according to the WHO...

I wonder if nobody sees their parents as elderly? Maybe it’s a biological thing? I’m not sure - I don’t have parents anymore, they died when I was young, so I’ve never had to think about it. But I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone refer to their own parents as elderly until they’ve got ill and start being frailer, which I don’t think is automatically elderly... it’s like the next stage.

@Ibeliveinyou YANBU to think of 70 as elderly.

But it is.

I will be 70 this year and don't consider myself elderly compared to 70 year olds I remember from my youth. I go for 10 km walks a couple of times a week, can still run for a bus, before Covid went dancing once a week, went to keep fit once a week and Pilates once a week. People tell me that I don't look my age and I have survived, just, two life threatening illnesses. I think previous generations had harder lives and were often old before their time. I have a couple of friends who were elderly at 60. It is a combination of attitude and luck and the term should never be used as a blanket generalisation.

There seems to be an obsession lately of not wanting to accept older ages. Of course 70 is elderly. The same way someone in their 40’s is not “young”. I don’t get why people find that so hard to take. I’m in my early 50s and so I don’t see it as some kind of insult if someone calls me middle aged, it’s what I am. I might feel younger in my mind but my age is what it is. No matter how fit I am or how I feel or look. They’re just descriptive words that people seem to take as insults.

I agree with this.

70s most definitely is elderly. Elderly isn't an insult however.

An elderly person can still be in good health and have plenty of good years left in them. But it is still the older years of life.

I agree with the posters who have said it's more about your lifestyle and mindset. My MIL and SFIL are early/ mid-seventies, he a few years older than her and as soon as he retired at 60 their joint mindset has been one of behaving and talking as if they are much older. It's really quite depressing and draining to listen to them. On the contrary, my lovely aunt and uncle are late sixties/early seventies, and not only do they look and lead the lifestyle of a much younger couple, they enjoy life, rather than enduring it like the ILs.

@Springersrock

My parents are 70 and 71. They’d kill me if I referred to them as elderly.

They own their own business and both still work full time. Both are fit and healthy, don’t look their age, very active - Dad is into Harley Davidsons, mum walks miles with her dog, before lockdown she went swimming/Pilates/yoga regularly - so I kind of forget they’re 70+ sometimes.

That's lovely that your 70-something parents are fit and healthy and active, and that they 'still work,' but they are still elderly. That's just a fact I'm afraid.

Also, they do look their age. You may think they don't, but they do. Virtually everyone looks their age, within 5 years in either direction. You may see them as looking much younger, but to everyone else, they will look as if they are at least in their late 60s...

I also wanted to add, I don't understand why (allegedly) not looking your age is so coveted, and celebrated so greatly. What on earth is wrong with looking your age?

It all depends on your health. Many 70 year olds are fit and active and don’t seek elderly in the slightest. But there is a divide. Some people by that age have multiple health issue which will make them appear more elderly. I’ve also known many people with quite advanced dementia at that age.

So whether you seem elderly at 70 or not is a bit of a lottery.

Depends on the person.
My aunt is over 90 and she's got as a butchers dog.
My mum is 65 and she is skeletal, has no teeth, and struggles to walk.
Its not imo as straightforward as age.

After a quick online search:
Average world life expectancy is 71.
Average uk life expectancy is 81.26

Therefore I’d say 70 was elderly.

I would say elderly was measured in fit and healthy way I’d say it was measured numeracy.

I’m in my early 40’s and going by these statistics it makes me middle aged! It’s just a number.