To be surprised that 65+ is deemed ‘elderly’

[Helfs]

Off the back of another thread I wanted to see what the actual definition or classification of ‘elderly’ was and I was very surprised to see it defined as 65+

I always thought 80+ as being elderly so this has really surprised me. Especially looking at those I know around the 65-70 mark, they’re fit, healthy, living their best life and do not scream ‘elderly’ if you looked at them.

Personally I’ve always seen it as;
0-1 baby
1-3 toddler
3-13 child
13-19 - teenager
19-25 young adult
25-40 - adult
40-55 - Middle Aged

55-80 - old
80+ - elderly

So do you think this definition is fair on those who are 65, should the definition not evolve as life expectancies rise?

I agree with your list.

I'd say 65 was old and 80 was elderly

I think 55 is a bit too young to be old. 65 more like it. (She says, a few years off 55.)

I wouldn't call 40 middle aged, or 55 old.

Im 67 my OH (68) and i go to live rock gigs go round the country in the summer on a large American cruiser motorbike, go to motorbike rallies , club nights and i still work part time i definitely dont consider my self old

I’d never say - ‘see that old person over there’ about a 55yr old. I kinda think old and elderly are similar and begin about 70 in my mind.

65 is late middle age/early old age.

Middle age being 45-65.

65-75 is early old age.
75-85 is old age.
85 onwards is advanced old age

DM is 66 and is offended at being called elderly. She still works, is very active, and other than the odd joint pain, has not physical health issues.
But then I know people the same age who look about 80 due to their decline in health.

I don't know i think I'd say something changes for a lot of people around 75. That was the age both my father and fil started seeming SO much older and more frail, more health issues, slower recovery times despite both having always been very healthy. They are more tired and cope less well with the children.

I always thought elderly was just a naicer way of saying old tbh.

Life expectancy in the UK is 80, so 40 is bang on middle aged.

Old will always be a few years older than you are i guess

Late middle aged? The oldest person in the world wouldn’t have even been middle aged at 65!

I'm 57. I don't think I'm old. I guess I am but I don't feel any different to I did at 40.

I think this changes as retirement age moves up. I don't think you can be considered 'old' whilst you are still working (no matter how knackered you might feel)
So perhaps adult/middle age are very blurred. Middle age is statistically much younger than any of us like to state

It's the medical definition.

Middle age is 45-65 in medical terms.
I don't think its literally a median measurement but corresponds with physical condition and likelihood of morbidity.

55 is old?😱 Surely elderly and old have the same meaning?

How old do you think Jeanne Calment was???

55 isn’t old

I'm a 60 year old who fosters a preschooler with complex needs, I am not old. Yet.

I think it depends on the person and their overall health.

my parents are both late 60s, only 18 months between them. Sadly my Dads health isn’t great while (fortunately) my Mums is so she seems a lot younger than him now. If that makes sense!

122

so half of that still isn’t 65 😅

Old and elderly are the same thing @Helfs . I wonder if you gave “elderly” a different meaning due to when you have seen it applied.

I would agree with other posters about going by life expectancy. 65 is entering the last 15 years of your (expected) life. Sounds about right to me.

I would start calling someone elderly when they are retired and seem like their health might be somewhat failing. Like they need support for certain things. If someone is leaping about, doing Kung Fu, running marathons and going clubbing every night then I'd struggle to call them elderly even if they were 80! Some people seem elderly in their 50s if they are ill and not so good at walking etc. I kind of associate it with deteriorating quality of life rather than just actual age.

Some sources conflate the two others differentiate

For example the UN considers someone old at 60 but elderly from 65. So not much of a gap!

You reckon 55 is old 🤣

Age is just a number.