Shorthand for 60 something

How about 'Snowbirds' like the senior citizens in the US who head south to Florida when the weather gets cold further north? I quite fancy being called a snowbird!

Like your attitude, thatbags. There's not that much can be done about it although a lot of people spend a lot of money trying to hide their age.

Seenagers!

izzy, I agree with you about telling oneself we should be slowing down does slow us down! I am guilty of that, treating myself like an older person. Not good! I 'll try to stop it.

In general, i reckon if a person looks old, they probably are.

The difference between me and a few others on this thread is that my reaction is "so what? There's nothing wrong with being old; nothing to hide or feel ashamed about".

Lizzypop, try having arthritis from your late teens and saying that. Sometimes one is forced to slow down despite staying active. Everyone is different. You can't assume anything about other people and if you do you're being something that's just as bad as ageist.

Also, we partner with the nearest person. Could be a man or a child...

thatbags I truly believe that many people slow down because they tell themselves they should. People of my age can't, don't, shouldn't....etc. The less you do, the less you can do. Practise walking faster and you'll get faster, be stronger, live longer. My mother-in-law used to ask me regularly, "Are you still doing karate?" as if it was really time I gave in and took up knitting. I'll stop when I can't do it any more. Hopefully, that will be the day I die ?

If we stopped being outraged about being called old, it wouldn't be a thing.

But what's wrong with old? I think the constant 'battle' that so many of us engage in to hide oldness (see that thread about wrinkle-disguising stuff) is what's ageist. Getting offended because someone thinks we're old is what's ageist.

izypop, I think the fact that your karate person referred to the old woman as her sparring partner says quite enough about the older woman's athleticism; of course she was good at karate; she wouldn't have been matched against someone who was going to make mincemeat out of her.

Hello Sweek.

Yes, Vintage. I'll settle for that.

Spangles I was at a residential karate course and a girl tried to tell me who she'd been partnered with for some sparring. She said, 'Erm....you know...(snapping fingers)....that old woman!" I knew exactly who she meant. It was my fellow club member who has white hair but is way younger than me. She could use this description to me without embarrassment because I'm not grey. There was no reference to athletic ability, yet my friend will have easily held her own against the younger girl. The perception was: white/grey hair = old = 'nuff said!

And usually, if they have slowed down due to age/arthritis, etc. they will have a walking stick.

My mum was silly about carrying a white stick when she was registered blind, until I pointed out that it was as much for other people's benefit as for her. Without it they would assume she had reasonably good sight and act accordingly. A white stick saves a lot of explaining.

I don't agree, neversaydie. The signs warning of elderly people crossing the road is fine: it's about old people who are slower than most younger people by reason of their age. Lots of old people move more slowly than your average person crossing the street. So what? This is what: watch out for them, the signs say, because they won't be able to get out of the way quickly.

Nothing whatsoever negative about that, just simple facts and reality. It doesn't refer to all old/older people, just some of the ones who are likely to be crossing the road near those signs.

petalmoore I agree we don't need euphemisms and anyway, whatever you call someone of any age, people will always form a picture that fits the perceived stereotype if they know the number. We are discouraged from promoting gender stereotypes or racial stereotypes so older people should also be given the same respect. At the same time, we should alter our perception of what numbers mean in terms of age. Ageism is rife but it's often perpetuated by older people themselves who restrict their lives by conforming to society's ingrained ideas about age. Forget the number! Get out and do things and, above all, be seen doing them. Don't become invisible!

My DM once referred to my next door neighbour as 'that elderly lady'. She was 49!

Very few people who refer to their elders as 'elderly' are actually as old as the people they're wring about. Reporters and feature writers, hospital consultants, junior doctors, GPs, even politicians these days, are all wring in a professional capacity and by definition are not retired. I know that when I was in my thirties I did not question the use of the word 'elderly' to describe people in their 60s as often as it was used for people 30 years older than that, just as when I was three, I knew my Granny was 'an old lady' even though she was only 59. It's all relative.

The proliferation of euphemisms simply reinforces the perception that there's something wrong with being old. To take just one example, of course I'm 'older' but I was older when I was a day old, from the point of view of a baby born on the following day. If people talk about 'older people', they never mean 12-year-olds in a soft play centre, do they - they mean people whom they're making a point of treating with what they think is respect by glossing over the fact that they're ... well, 'old'. And saying that someone is old is perceived to be insulting ...

No, I prefer to call myself old, and to do my bit to reclaim the word as at least merely descriptive, and as a bonus, as a term of respect. I'm very pleased to have survived to be 66 and I'm enjoying life, and on days when I have lots of energy, 66 feels like this, and when I feel tired and sluggish, 66 feels like that, too. So no big deal.
Mind you, there are limits even to my equanimity: I'm only 5 feet tall, so it would be entirely accurate to describe me as a 'little old lady' I would seethe inwardly, but that's because I know it's a cliché that also includes all sorts of disrespectful or thoughtless connotations. And I am determined to visit a restaurant in Edinburgh described by the reviewer in The List as serving delicious desserts which are 'not safe for grannies'. Plum and pistachio crumble? Bring it on!

DeeWBW, sometimes!

Most of us don't fit the common perception of what people of our age should be like. I'm still awaiting my rocking chair, shawl and granny perm.

Anyway, I've just made an appointment for someone aged 106 so I'm a mere stripling!!

I despise the obsession the press has with reporting a person's age. If someone is interviewed on the street as an eye witness to an incident, for example, what difference does it make to their statement that the bus crashed into a tree if they are 27 or 67?

I was amazed to find that this year's birthday put me on the extreme limit of 'late middle age' at 64. Next year I will be officially classed as elderly. We are continually being shoehorned into arbitrary pigeonholes! I'm a practising 4th dan (black belt) in Shotokan karate. I don't fit the common perception of elderly. If I could figure out how to post a photo on here from my kindle fire, I'd show you. But it's not you that need convincing.

It's the horribly patronising attitude towards older people that annoys me the most. I wouldn't necessarily conceal my age but, in karate, I hate the idea of becoming invisible or patronized (with mock shock) as 'not bad for her age' and then ignored because of my number. If I were unable to carry out a task due to physical problems, I'd need help for that reason, not because of my age. Plenty of younger people have physical problems or injuries.

OK! Rant over ?

I quite like the American 'Seniors'. When used over there, it doesn't just label an age group, it's a term of respect. Seniors are given all sorts of perks, on the basis that they have worked and a long time, gained much life experience and deserve it. We don't value our elderly people in the UK. When they need care and support, only poor quality, inadequate care and support are provided.

Mature?

I'm a woman, if anything.

My late grand mother, when she was 90, was horrified when I suggested I borrow a wheel chair for a days excursion for her to ride in. She said, people would think she was old. ..........

I have recently heard the term Gimmer used several times.
According to the Grandchildren it's short for Old Git with a Zimmer frame.
Nice eh ???

I feel young in spirit but I'm trapped in a rapidly ageing body. However, I'm not above using the age card to my advantage. If people are generous enough to help me with my disabilities I'm happy to accept. Age is a largely a state of mind but onlookers make their own assumptions.