to think the ageism on here has been disgusting recently

[EverythingYouDoIsaBalloon]

Distaste for the idea of older mothers. Pesky pensioners daring to shop at weekends when they've 'got all week' to do it. Retirement-age people being lambasted for not resigning to free up jobs for younger people. A lack of comprehension as to why older people are even in the workplace at all. Calls for over-80s to be stripped of their driving licences. A solemn assertion from one pp earlier in the year that '60 isn't young. It's old.' like middle age doesn't even exist. And that’s just off the top of my head.

Some people are going to get a shock when they get older themselves, according to some of the comments I’ve seen on this forum recently.

Its not an objective term though, is it? So its impossible to have a shared understanding of its meaning. As far as I know, no authority has ever stated the age it was correct to call a person old. So all we have is 'I think...' 'I disagree...' with no one being any more right than anyone else, rendering it largely meaningless. Unlike simply saying 'they are 60' which is perfectly clear and offends no one.

@FrivolousKitchenRollUse
I must challenge you on this........the "younger generation" eat smashed avocados. Do keep up please.
And have more than enough money to have a multitude of tattoos/takeaway lattes/latest smartphones/vapes/lip fillers, etc, etc...........
I hope I don't need to make it clear that I'm jesting.
I agree with you that ageism certainly does flow in both directions.

As far as I know, no authority has ever stated the age it was correct to call a person old

Perhaps not, but where I live in the US, there are statutory definitions of "elderly" that relate to elder abuse and other crimes against elders. In my state that age is 60. Are there not similar laws in the countries of the UK?

A bit silly to put 'silly, dangerous old codgers' when no one on that particular thread phrased it as that.
But yes it is absolutely preferable that someone else take them of they're not able to drive there safely. Loss of independence does not entitle someone to endanger other people and your in laws sound reasonable and smart knowing their own limitations.
Also to say anyone who gets panic attacks or are otherwise limited when driving far also shouldn't be doing it even if they're 30.

👏👏

People claiming not to be old at 70 are falling into the trap of seeing being old as a negative. I am over 70 and I am old. Not as old as someone of 90 but still old. I do not fall into a stereotype of having right wing views or being judgmental of younger people. I am lucky enough to be fairly physically able and not dependent on anyone else. That’s just luck, not a virtue. There’s a lot of stereotyping on here that wouldn’t be accepted towards any other group. Old is really a neutral description of having lived longer. Did the person who had experienced abuse from ‘ boomers’ ever explain? I have not noticed my contemporaries going around insulting and assaulting people ( well a few may but they are criminals who exist in every age group). That comment proved the point in its assumption that all boomers are the same.

My MIL is 83 and totally awesome. My DCs are 15 and 18 and wouldn’t dream of pigeon holing people by age, DC1 and I were discussing this the other day and concluded adopting the philosophy “what would Gran do?” was the beat way of living:

My FIL gets panic attacks on high speed roads only. He gets anxious at the sight of cars coming towards him at 70mph. My MIL's shoulder was messed up after an injection, probably for covid, was rushed and done too high up on her arm and into a cold, stiff muscle. So now she can't change gears for very long. I imaging steering gets a bit harder for her aswell. So neither of them drive very far or fast anymore. They're never going to cause accidents and they never have caused any accidents in their decades of driving. Only now because they're getting older and their bodies are failing them, and the general shitshow that is the NHS, they often get referred to clinics and hospitals in other counties. So either myself or my DH have to use holiday to take them places. It's tough. But my DHs parents are the demographic being blamed for everything these days, so there's another reason for them to feel grumpy and fed up as they get older. We both feel the same way. Grumpy, fed up and tired.

As far as I'm aware, there is no statutory definition of 'elderly'. Elder abuse is generally used to refer to people who are abused when their vulnerability is due to their age (as oppose to disability for example) safeguarding issues about older people are raised with 'adult safeguarding'. Charities working with older people will often include people over 50. Supported housing for older adults, similar, but varies on area. Other insitutions use state retirement age as the gateway to services for older adults. Medical services use 'geriatric' but no idea how old a person needs to be to qualify.

I do think there is a problem of job blocking in certain industries. People end up waiting for years for someone to retire so that they can move up and it’s extremely frustrating especially when the senior person has reduced their hours to 3 or 4 days a week. I’m not sure that’s ageism necessarily just factual that people in this scenario are of an age when you could reasonably expect them to retire.

An inevitable consequence of increasing the state pension age. I realise lots of people don't want to retire but lots of others do but can't afford to until they reach state pension age.

The other side of 'job blocking' is the widespread age discrimination against older jobseekers.

I'm not sure that most of the posters being ageist are all that young though. They seem to be in the 30-50 range, as they often moan about their own elderly parents.

Have to say that I’ve never been tailgated by one of the many 80 year olds driving around our rural area, but by the under 30’s, plenty of them do it in their boy racer cars.

What abuse? Serious question.

Interesting - I just googled it and the NHS says 65.

I think we’ll be waiting a long time as the poster clearly made a silly statement that they were unable to back up!

Agree. People who go to entertain the old folks in a home start singing Don't Dilly Dally, when the 'old folks' were in their prime in the 50s and 6os and would have listened to Elvis and The Rolling Stones!

I think it's due to Brexit, tory voters and the old having the most wealth. That has bred resentment.
My dad dosn't help himself tbh when he maintains that inflation has only gone up a tiny bit. He loves to watch me struggle because he had to.

Oh do go away.
60 is not old

Actually what it says is 'generally' someone over 65 'might' be considered an older person, but it's not possible to apply a strict definition as people age biologically at different rates. Which supports the very fit pp who states they are not old at 61 and my own understanding that there was no legal definition.

I know 60 year olds that self proclaim that they are old - but they own it. I’m in my 30s and love the fact that I have people over 50/60 that are normalising aging. Especially as a woman, there is a fear to age.

I think nobody should discriminate though. I agree, most of us will see old age and I’m sure we want to be treated like people. As you do at any age. Ageism always exists and the targets are usually young people and older people.

As a society in the west we loose respect for our “elders”. In my culture we have so much respect for those that have lived longer than us. It’s a shame the lack of respect is out of control.

When I was 36 I was informed by a cheery midwife that I was having a "geriatric pregnancy " 😆

MadameMassiveSalad
To be fair op if 60 Is middle aged then we'd all be living to 120.

40 mis middle aged.

To clarify, my concept of middle age is somewhat fluid 😄 and not mathematically based. I simply view middle-aged as meaning 'neither young nor old'. Obviously different people are going to place the age markers in different places, though, and I'm not claiming my definition of middle age as anything other than my own subjective opinion.

Middle aged is, by definition in the middle. So you're wrong. 🤷🏻‍♀️

You can think of yourself as old if you wish, however I am almost 65 and I certainly don't consider myself to be old. My parents lived until their late 80s, two of my GPs until their mid 80s - why should I be "old" at 65?

I can remember my DM and her friend, both in their 80s, saying how they didn't feel any older than they ever did. I find those who consider themselves old generally act old - I have no wish to do that just yet.

Which is what I’ve said? The current pensioners have paid the pensions for the generation before them, and on it goes, which means everyone gets their turn in paying in, and then claiming.