What do you consider as being "old" or "elderly"?

Pepper said:
Just the entire experience of being in a hospital. Because of my age, 75, and general health the procedure was done in a hospital. Nervous getting there, being there, no food, everything, Ronni, everything just scared me out of my mind. Like I've had enough, leave me alone!
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This is exactly the way I feel about it. The last procedure--an injection for back pain--I went in for, they were running way behind, the no-food thing bothers me too (I get headaches after not eating for a long time), and I was sitting there waiting and waiting and waiting and feeling so old and helpless and "I wanna go home!" And I'm starting to feel like that even going in for just doctor's appointment; I hate it.
 

Pepper said:
Results were I have hernia, so not the results. Just the entire experience of being in a hospital. Because of my age, 75, and general health the procedure was done in a hospital. Nervous getting there, being there, no food, everything, Ronni, everything just scared me out of my mind. Like I've had enough, leave me alone!
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Oh! 😟 I’m so sorry @Pepper! Did anyone go with you? Did you have support at the hospital?
 
officerripley said:
This is exactly the way I feel about it. The last procedure--an injection for back pain--I went in for, they were running way behind, the no-food thing bothers me too (I get headaches after not eating for a long time), and I was sitting there waiting and waiting and waiting and feeling so old and helpless and "I wanna go home!" And I'm starting to feel like that even going in for just doctor's appointment; I hate it.
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Same question for you as for pepper. Did you have anyone with you? Anyone to support you?
 

wELL I CONSIDER MYSELF OLD FOR SURE...AND AM LOSING
CONTROL OF CERTAIN ASPECTS OF MY LIFE...BALANCE, STANDING UPRIGHT, VISION, MUSCLES, ETC....NOW LATEST
TO GO IS MY SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, AND MEDICARE CARD,
CANNOT FIND THOSE SUCKERS ANYWHERE!!!! BUT I'LL KEEP LOOKING, IF NOT ABLE TO FIND, I DON'T REALLY NEED THE ACTUAL CARD, I REMEMBER MY SOCIAL, NOT MY MEDICARE...
AH JOYS OF OLD AGE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I'm sixty four so realize I'm older but don't consider myself an old person....yet, though I certainly don't feel young anymore.

In my opinion elderly is more a state of being than a certain age, at least at first. I've known people who seem elderly while still in their sixties, lost most muscle tone, lost mental acuity, have that shuffling walk and rheumy eyes. I've also known people who are vibrant and vital well into their seventies, I'd never define them as elderly.

I will say I see an overall decline in about everyone once they get into their eighties, so would classify them as elderly.
 
officerripley said:
This is exactly the way I feel about it. The last procedure--an injection for back pain--I went in for, they were running way behind, the no-food thing bothers me too (I get headaches after not eating for a long time), and I was sitting there waiting and waiting and waiting and feeling so old and helpless and "I wanna go home!" And I'm starting to feel like that even going in for just doctor's appointment; I hate it.
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I feel the same way. I wish I never had to see a doctor again for anything, which is impossible, since I'm on so many prescription drugs so must go for refills, if nothing else. I feel I look like your avatar, without the righteous energy!
 
Once anyone passes middle age, then they are heading for the old section. That’s just the way it is. However, you can be old in years and young at heart or you can be old in years with many serious ailments. The only thing I’ve noticed about old age is that anyone in this bracket tends to become more and more invisible like we no longer matter.
 
CallMeKate said:
I don't consider myself "old" on any level, let alone "elderly." :oops: I even have trouble with "senior" most of the time. Maybe as I inch closer to 70 year by year, my feelings on that will change, but not today. Or tomorrow. :sneaky:
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...and I'm 70 already... and do not consider myself old in any way... despite having several issues, I just never would think of myself as old....older yes... not old !
 
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I think age is just a number and I've never been upset by one yet until recently. I feel trapped and unhappy. This is making me feel old because younger people would not tolerate that at all, they'd find a way out. My thinking has become negative and that is not me. I just feel too tired to go on and I feel like, "Okay I'm finished now. Can I leave please?" And all that says to me I'm old.

It's not an age number. It's a feeling.
 
Old as a term does not necessarily imply significant physically limitations though it certainly can if intended. There is a long list of ways one might categorize human abilities and human anatomy members. However, "limited" is how our SF audience is interpreting the title term "old", hence posting push backs. Elderly is a more focused term that does imply a diminished physical state and capability.

So I can indeed state that I a senior am "old" and can also state that even if just considering fitness and athletic skills, that I would rate higher than average younger people ever attain. That is because I also have decades of built-up and regularly practiced, skills from neural plasticity. So there is a significant relative physical variation between individuals as we age that is more a Bell Curve.

Old is often most intended to reflect a person's face and head looks. On that count, I'll never have to show my driver's license to purchase a beer. And I can also relate that no one looking at my face would describe me as elderly. Heck, there are plenty of people my age of 76 that are not only look physically aged, decrepit, but also many that are no longer alive. So yeah 76 IS old.

One facet of aging that increasingly bothers me and is inevitable for all of us, is as a single heterosexual male, I am losing facial attractiveness to younger age groups of women. For more attractive than average women, that beauty facet of aging is usually much more an issue.
 
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chic said:
I think age is just a number and I've never been upset by one yet until recently. I feel trapped and unhappy. This is making me feel old because younger people would not tolerate that at all, they'd find a way out. My thinking has become negative and that is not me. I just feel too tired to go on and I feel like, "Okay I'm finished now. Can I leave please?" And all that says to me I'm old.

It's not an age number. It's a feeling.
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I feel this, @chic. I had a hard time when I turned sixty late last year, and while it's getting better and I'm getting better, it still gets in my head sometimes.
 
My wife and me are decluttering and giving away a lot of things. A week ago we asked a young neighbor if he would like to take some of them. He likes collecting minerals, thus he was very pleased taking parts of my wife's collection and some other pieces of our things. During our conversation he said "You're older people ..." but directly after this remark he apologized. We answered: "Don't apologize, you're right".

As I was a boy, my father of 50 years seemed being old for me. As my mother was in her beginning 70s, a young man I knew, told me, that he noticed an old woman driving the car I was sitting in. It was my mother. At that moment I came to know that she in fact was old.

I don't mind if somebody calls me 'old'. It's relative. More than a decade ago an old lady in her 70s called me "young man", but I was maybe 53 years old.
 
Medusa said:
I feel this, @chic. I had a hard time when I turned sixty late last year, and while it's getting better and I'm getting better, it still gets in my head sometimes.
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Medusa, you had a hard time when you turned 60? Why?

On the other hand I know a very successful physician with his own clinic, who got a candle with the number 60 on this birthday. I was told, that he let burn the candle down until the number 60 had vanished. I had to laugh and never understood this.

I am proud, how older I get. Not that I want to live as long as a Methusalem, but I am grateful that I don't need to live such a long time anymore. This world became utterly mad, thus I don't like to be young again.
 
George1959 said:
Medusa, you had a hard time when you turned 60? Why?

On the other hand I know a very successful physician with his own clinic, who got a candle with the number 60 on this birthday. I was told, that he let burn the candle down until the number 60 had vanished. I had to laugh and never understood this.

I am proud, how older I get. Not that I want to live as long as a Methusalem, but I am grateful that I don't need to live such a long time anymore. This world became utterly mad, thus I don't like to be young again.
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I couldn't explain the why of it and even if I could it wouldn't resonate with you because we are all moving through our lives in different ways, having different experiences and perceptions.

I wouldn't say to someone who feels old at 45 that they shouldn't feel that way or I don't understand them. They feel how they feel.

The question of feeling old, at least for me, is: what am I going to do about it? Right now, the answer, for a start, is to take really good care of my body, focus on building muscle and bone strength, and nutrition. This, watching my body slowly change and feeling better in it, is helping me, really helping me, feel better about where I am in the timeline of life. :)

I'm glad you feel good about where you are. :)
 
George1959 said:
My wife and me are decluttering and giving away a lot of things. A week ago we asked a young neighbor if he would like to take some of them. He likes collecting minerals, thus he was very pleased taking parts of my wife's collection and some other pieces of our things. During our conversation he said "You're older people ..." but directly after this remark he apologized. We answered: "Don't apologize, you're right".

As I was a boy, my father of 50 years seemed being old for me. As my mother was in her beginning 70s, a young man I knew, told me, that he noticed an old woman driving the car I was sitting in. It was my mother. At that moment I came to know that she in fact was old.

I don't mind if somebody calls me 'old'. It's relative. More than a decade ago an old lady in her 70s called me "young man", but I was maybe 53 years old.
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It's true, when I was 12 years old my mother was just 33, my father early 40's I definitely thought of them as being old... but I knew there was a huge difference between them and my grandparents who were in their 60's and 70's who to me were SUPER old....

However it's all relative.. even now on here .. at just turned 70 years old, peope have called me a ''young thing''...
 
At 77, I'm "elderly" when it's to my advantage. I'm not above pulling the "poor old widow" card when it gets me somewhere with bureaucracy. For instance, when I went to Mexico City last year, I took my folding cane with me as I knew sidewalks would be iffy at times. I found out, when crossing a street that the pedestrians do NOT have the right-of-way in Mexico City. It's a game of frogger, for sure. BUT, if I started to walk out and waved my cane at the cars, traffic came to a halt. Nobody wants to run down Abuela....

Also, at 77, I can be pretty young....I'm in my second childhood, y'know. Get outa my way, you young whipper-snappers!
 

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