Yes.Yes.and Yes….as are all over

70. BUT BUT. BUT …..

Fill in the buts

oh! missed the fb link Going go see now

I don’t really care how my age is described. You can call something an inanimate mineral blob and it’s still a rock. So I am elderly— big deal? If I call myself ”experienced” or senior or passd sell by date I am still nearly 70. 🤷‍♀️

I'm old in terms of the number of years I've lived and the unknown but finite number I have left. But elderly in my mind is more about how you are than what age you are. I'm far more fit, active and self sufficient than a few of my friends almost 20 years younger. But I will admit the heat and humidity this summer has limited most of my strenuous gardening - it just takes the starch out of me to be out in it.

Yes, I've finally had to admit to myself that I'm past middle age. At 60 there was a really long shot that I'd make it to 120. But at 70, no way will I make it to 140. So I'm truly over the hill..but as they say, that's when you pick up steam!!

I think 62 or 65+ is generally accepted as elderly.

However, among people 60-plus, I think elderly is equated with frail, and needing help with daily tasks.

It was a shock to me during covid to learn that I was ranked among the elderly! No way was 65 elderly!

No way is someone in their 60’s “elderly”! That’s middle aged. 80+ is elderly. I’m 75 and I would call myself a senior, even though I can’t quite believe it. Recently, someone suggested I might take a class at a Senior Center and I thought “What??!” and then, “Huh, maybe..”.

According to the dictionary: The word elderly is an adjective used as a polite way to describe someone who is old or in later life. As a collective noun ("the elderly"), it refers to older people as a group. It generally applies to people aged 65 or older, though definitions .

Be proud you made it!!!!

In my mind, elderly = about 80+. Based on nothing but my own definition. With any luck, I’ll reach 80 and rebel against that definition!

China, I was talking with a friend who’s about 78 when she mentioned a class at our senior center. I said, oh, I’m not sure I’m old enough...she said, no one thinks they’re old enough! I think people can use the services, take classes, etc, starting at 60 or 65, but most are over 70 and still think they’re too young to be there.

Old is whatever you are plus 10 years.

Maybe elderly is whatever you are plus 20 years?

I guess it's a combination of things:

The Texas heat. A nation in decline. Some unmet dreams. Some physical issues.

But lately, I feel elderly.

Fortunately, as people here have pointed out, elderly is a state of mind, so change is possible.

External age & internal age are often poles apart. At 80, my external age is becoming more apparent to me - some inability to find the word I'm looking for (in speech & writing) that usually resolves itself eventually, occasional mild lightheadedness, skin not what it used to be by far, consciousness of avoiding falls/ holding onto things to perambulate, repeating my really great stories to anyone who will listen, not being able to garden vigorously for 8+ hours straight...

My internal age is somewhere between my 30s and 50s. As is often the case as we age, our minds insist that we are really still in our prime. Which is fine & dandy until we still try to perform as we once did and find rather quickly that those days are behind us. LOL.

My mind is still active with word games online and myriad books in many genres.

Being rather lazy, I have never bothered with coloring my hair, what there is of it. But one benefit of aging is that I no longer have to shave since body hair has disappeared! Yay! The only time I bother with any makeup is if I am going to a wedding/funeral. And I no longer care very much how I look - as long as I am wearing clean & appropriate clothing, that's as good as I get these days. =)

"Most senior centers require you to be at least 55 or 60 years old to join, though many community programs and active living centers set the minimum age at 50."

I doubt they turn anyone away LOL. I

I read something, where someone described how I feel about out my age group "the Freshman class of Seniors".

There is a reason I am not participating in this conversation. ;)

Because despite your knowledge and experience, you are 39 years old?

Lucille, even my kids are older than 39. I laughed at an interview with Mick Jagger where he was asked if age brought wisdom and his response was something like ” are you kidding? The older I get, the less I remember.” Truth.

I was reviewing a medical appointment summary on My Chart and it began like this:

"The patient is a pleasant 70-year old woman."

And I was like who the #$%* are they talking about??? Aunt Bee is a pleasant 70-year old woman - certainly not me. I was telling my DD this and she informed me I might actually fit the description if my cultural reference is "Aunt Bee".

I think I may be elderly...

omg too funny @rubyclaire!

Psst I have no idea who Aunt Bee is. 😬

Show off.

Andy of Mayberry - Aunt Bee

ETA: My DH said "pleasant?"

no idea 😉 i swear , i swear

PS Actress Frances Bavier was 57 years old when she began playing Aunt Bee in 1960

I know! My DD had Chat put a modern haircut on a photo of her and I mean it was a little too close for comfort.

And, btw, I was most certainly watching old reruns...

And horrors be! The Golden Girls were in their 50s!

I remember at work when looking at demographics, people lived so long we had to distinguish the elderly from the 'superelderly' who were in their 80s and beyond. The 55-75 group were still lively and active for the most part. It wasn't until after that that needs for more care and interdependent living situations rose.

And I'm sure it's true for others here. When my grandparents were in their 60s, they were *old*. My generation, not so much. We're in our 70s and still quite active.

My grandparents' generation had a lot of smokers; that can really age a person, too.

I won't find it for sure, but a few decades back IIRC there was a study that associated health and longevity with nutritional security in utero and infancy. They said it explained the civil war soldiers -- if you've seen how tiny their uniforms were -- who often suffered diseases of aging such as arthritis and cancers in their 20s and 30s. That as early nutrition improved, so did longevity, vigor and health. They said during the spanish flu, nutritional security waned and they could see the effects on the health of that cohort thereafter. No doubt, my access to nutrition was better than that of my grandparents in their infancy and I suspect it plays a part in our longer lives and vigor in our later years.

While I don’t care what my age cohort is called I do care about my hair and other aspects of appearance that are succumbing to gravity. I don’t aspire to look 40 or 50, or even 60— I just want to look like a really great 70 year old. So…..steps are being taken!