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.

It’s funny how people only see frail people as elderly. The fit healthy ones at the same age are also elderly, just lucky enough to be coping better with it. They are what they are, however they look.

It’s amusing seeing people on here claiming that people in their 70s and 80s aren’t elderly. It’s like if they’re denying the ageing process and the inevitability of death.

My dad died when he was 69. Whilst I miss him very much and wish he’d had longer I accept the fact that he had lived a long and lovely life. His was a slightly premature death but he had retired and lived longer than many of his ancestors.

I think it’s because mumsnet is populated by middle age middle class women who expect everyone to live to 100. In many areas of the country people living to 70 have actually exceeded the life expectancy of those areas.

who expect everyone to live to 100.

That has become the mentality in my family because some have lived into their late 80s/ 90s.

I think elderly can mean a factual chronological descriptor or it can can be used to denote an appearance/ fitness.

@0blio

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

This ^

I have no idea why people equate it with being ancient and decrepit.

I'd describe DM as elderly since 80. Although she glowed and had a good dance at her 80th birthday party. I wouldn't say it in front of her though... She was still "middle-aged" through her 60s, and began to have energy and stamina tailing off through her 70s. MiL was less trendy and youthful in attitide, but again its the 80s where old age has showed rapidly.

Few people get far into their 80s before the niggles really start cramping their lifestyle. Some people show it decades earlier.

I'm in no denial about mortality. My dad died nearly 30 years ago.

I really admired the 3 volunteers at the hospital who were into their early 90s, and caring for "old people" 20-30 years younger

Ken Bruce is 70 today. Not very elderly

I think Ken Bruce has sounded elderly for years! In a good way. Doesn’t mean he’s incapable.

It tends to be somewhere in that decade of 70 to 79 that most people go from being fairly healthy and active, to having some significant effects of ageing that become evident. And if you are that age you are undoubtably getting towards the end decade of your life, and maybe much closer.

My MIL has been 'old' as long as I've known her and I met her when she was mid 50s. At that point she was waiting to become a pensioner and now at 82 she is frail/elderly and waiting to die . She really seems to have relished old age.

My mum is 69 and regularly goes ice skating and is pretty good too. Going totally potty at the moment and eating crap as she can't go out and can't see family because dad has a heart condition. He looks and acts far more elderly though. So I just think it's too individual to call

My uncle is a very trendy exhibition manager in a gallery in London. He is 70. You wouldn't know that to either look at him or speak to him. He is very much the exception though!
Most 70yo I know are well, but retired and on a slower pace, even if active - and none are as active as my uncle!

Whilst my parents are not yet in their 70s and relatively well, they are feeling their age. Especially my DM who has osteoporosis. I still see them as middle aged and me in my 20s . I think that's a parent/child thing though really.

70 is older but elderly is when you life is very compromised by what you can no longer do for yourself imo.

@ChestnutStuffing. Interesting point about heathly life expectancy but your comment about 70s being the age where things start going wrong for people only applies for people who live in the most affluent parts of the U.K.

In some other areas for men it is in their 50s.

The mumsnet demographic is not typical of the majority of people living in the U.K. All these fit and healthy 70 and 80 year olds are the exception and not the standard.

www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics/male-healthy-life-expectancy-from-birth

@Chicchicchicchiclana

70 is older but elderly is when you life is very compromised by what you can no longer do for yourself imo.

That’s absolutely wrong.

It's three years past UK retirement age, which was one of the oldest in the EU before we left, and still one of the oldest in Western countries.

If you are sufficiently old that it's deemed you no longer need to work in a country like the UK that is so keen on everyone working even those who are medically unfit to do so, I'd say that's fairly old. Plus statistically speaking you won't live long past it. Loads of years behind you, probably not so many to go? Yeah, that's elderly.

Most people that age have one or other chronic condition that won't get better. If they fall over they'll likely break something. They are unlikely to be approaching their physical or mental or career peak.

Yeah, elderly.

YANBU.

Agree with OP - it isn’t.
‘Ellderly’ is an emotive word people use to bolster an agenda.

Well in these times it's being used to bolster the agenda that 70+yos shouldn't be priority for the covid vaccine, and here we all are discussing how fit and sprightly said 70+yos are on a thread started by someone who has since disappeared ...

If you divide life into young/middle/older, then it would roughly correspond to 10-30 / 30-60 / 60-90.

Makes intuitive sense to me - it really is just a descriptor. It's all the positives and/or negatives you attach to it that make the difference.

'Elderly' to me means exactly the same as 'older', and I'll count myself lucky to achieve either label.

I suppose I could go for the alternative maiden/mother/crone - which I also quite like. I'll pride myself on being the eccentric purple-wearing version.

www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/warning/

"0-30" that first bit should have said

@LakeGeneva

Well in these times it's being used to bolster the agenda that 70+yos shouldn't be priority for the covid vaccine, and here we all are discussing how fit and sprightly said 70+yos are on a thread started by someone who has since disappeared ...

I haven't heard there being an agenda Like this

I made the point about fit and sprightly because some elderly people will say they don't feel elderly because of that.

Am not bothered as to who gets the vaccine first or not. Was just making an observation.

Ok.

[quote PatriciaBateman]If you divide life into young/middle/older, then it would roughly correspond to 10-30 / 30-60 / 60-90.

Makes intuitive sense to me - it really is just a descriptor. It's all the positives and/or negatives you attach to it that make the difference.

'Elderly' to me means exactly the same as 'older', and I'll count myself lucky to achieve either label.

I suppose I could go for the alternative maiden/mother/crone - which I also quite like. I'll pride myself on being the eccentric purple-wearing version.

www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/warning/[/quote]
I love that poem by Jenny Jones. I started recently to decide to not care what people think of me so much and just hang loose and enjoy my own quirks. Never too early to start to be your own person

[quote Snookie00]@ChestnutStuffing. Interesting point about heathly life expectancy but your comment about 70s being the age where things start going wrong for people only applies for people who live in the most affluent parts of the U.K.

In some other areas for men it is in their 50s.

The mumsnet demographic is not typical of the majority of people living in the U.K. All these fit and healthy 70 and 80 year olds are the exception and not the standard.

www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics/male-healthy-life-expectancy-from-birth[/quote]
Oh yes - I wasn't suggesting that noone begins to have ageing effects, even serious ones, before that.

But there are a fair number of people who are in pretty good health in their late 60s, but very few people who, by 80, have not had some significant age-related concerns. That seems to be the decade where, even if you had a reasonably healthy lifestyle and good health care, things start to go south.

I think that's scary to a lot of people who still see themselves as middle aged, at about 60ish. Because it means that it may well be they have 10 good years left, and after that their ability to do what they want will lessen - maybe by a lot. Ten years is pretty near in the future, all things considered.

True. My mum is one of the 70 and living her best life type of people. She is fit, healthy and could probably go on for another 20+ years. My gran lived to her mid 90s in reasonable health kept going my the wonders of modern medicine. That doesn’t mean that my mum is not elderly. Just that she’s a fit and healthy elderly women.

*@ChestnutStuffing. Interesting point about heathly life expectancy but your comment about 70s being the age where things start going wrong for people only applies for people who live in the most affluent parts of the U.K.

In some other areas for men it is in their 50s.

The mumsnet demographic is not typical of the majority of people living in the U.K. All these fit and healthy 70 and 80 year olds are the exception and not the standard*

...but then do you have a differing scale of what is elderly, according to life expectancy...or would you say people died during middle age.
If life expectancy in a developing country was, for example 50, would someone be considered elderly at 45, or would you say people didnt live until old age in that country...?
I'm in my early 40s, I'm fit and healthy so far, but based on the women in my family, I would feel lucky if I lived until I was 70.my DM died on her early 60s, I feel she died before she was elderly.