# Your personal thoughts about the word Elderly



## Kayelle (Sep 12, 2020)

*For me, I don't mind at all being called a Senior, but the word ELDERLY gives me the heebie jebbie jitters. 
With the life span these days, ELDERLY to me wouldn't be until the age of 90 or so. If I live another 14 yrs. I'll be ok with the nasty sounding word for me, but I think "Super Senior" sounds a lot better. 

What say you?*


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## GeorgiaXplant (Sep 12, 2020)

The older we get the further away old age gets.


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## RadishRose (Sep 12, 2020)

I don't care about it.


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## hollydolly (Sep 12, 2020)

When I hear the word Elderly, I immediatley think of someone who is very old, and who  has difficulty getting around by themselves


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## hollydolly (Sep 12, 2020)

I heard on the news recently a report on a woman being run over.. they described her as ''an elderly 60 year old woman''... whaaaat???  I"m 5 years older at 65.. and this is me.. I don't think of myself as being _anywhere _near elderly


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## Gaer (Sep 12, 2020)

hollydolly said:


> I heard on the news recently a report on a woman being run over.. they described her as ''an elderly 60 year old woman''... whaaaat???  I"m 5 years older at 65.. and this is me.. I don't think of myself as being _anywhere _near elderly


I know! Holly!  Neither do I and I'm in my 70's!


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## Gary O' (Sep 12, 2020)

Kayelle said:


> For me, I don't mind at all being called a Senior, but the word ELDERLY gives me the heebie jebbie jitters.
> With the life span these days, ELDERLY to me wouldn't be until the age of 90 or so. If I live another 14 yrs. I'll be ok with the nasty sounding word for me, but I think "Super Senior" sounds a lot better.
> 
> What say you?


I'll just refer to a creation from my taproom thread;


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## Oris Borloff (Sep 12, 2020)

When I hear the word elderly it brings a smile to my face and reminds me of my mother-in-law.   She spent the last years of her life in an assisted living facility and one day when my wife was having lunch with her in the dining room, she was speaking of one of the other residents and pointed to  a man who appeared to be in his '80's, and said "That elderly gentleman over there".  What is so charming about the story was she was well into her '90's at the time.

As for me, there are days I feel I'm on the eve of elderly, and others, I'm anxiously awaiting to hit puberty.


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## bingo (Sep 12, 2020)

it doesn't matter what they call me...
long as it's  for meals and payday!


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## Gaer (Sep 12, 2020)

Oris'es story reminded me of MY Grandmother.  She was left with 5 young children on the plains of Montana when her husband suddenly died.  She had a horse ranch to care for and switched it to a wheat farm, but she had to marry again to handle all the work.  So she married 15 years younger than herself and told everyone she was 10 years younger.  She kept this up her whole life.  When she died at 90, they found her birth certificate and she was really 100.


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## Mahatma (Sep 12, 2020)

we all know folks who were old at 40... and i am 80 on my next birtday
but my finest moment came this year during lockdown.
my son was telling me a tale about some guy and he said
"he wasnt that old either, about our age"...lol...out of the mouths of babes


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## Aunt Bea (Sep 12, 2020)

IMO elderly should be used to describe a segment of society and never used when referring to an individual.


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## Pink Biz (Sep 12, 2020)

*It doesn't bother me. You can call me a crone or a relic too if you choose! *


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## Aunt Marg (Sep 12, 2020)

Kayelle said:


> *For me, I don't mind at all being called a Senior, but the word ELDERLY gives me the heebie jebbie jitters.
> With the life span these days, ELDERLY to me wouldn't be until the age of 90 or so. If I live another 14 yrs. I'll be ok with the nasty sounding word for me, but I think "Super Senior" sounds a lot better.
> 
> What say you?*


I love referring to it as the "mature years".


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## Lizzie00 (Sep 12, 2020)

I was STUNNED earlier this year when the doc that was performing my first ever root canal made mention that the tooth issue i had was not uncommon amongst the elderly. I let it slide but it sure was an eye opener lolololol


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## PamfromTx (Sep 12, 2020)

I remember being referred as 'elderly' by a physician's assistant when I was around 55 years old.   You have no idea how depressed I felt.  These people should know what age is considered, 'elderly'.


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## PamfromTx (Sep 12, 2020)

Reminds me of something that my middle sister told me the other day.  She still works at age 68 at the public library; her boss referred her as the senior employee.  My sis was so mad and said they employees should not be referred to as that.   She even told her boss how she felt.


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## Phoenix (Sep 12, 2020)

It's just a word that describes an old person.  A word is a word is a word.  I happen to be elderly.  It just means I've survived longer than some.  When one is young one wants to live a long time.  If they do, this is what they get.  When I was 18 someone 22 seemed old to me.


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## Autumn (Sep 12, 2020)

I don't mind the word senior, especially when it's followed by the word discount...


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## Kayelle (Sep 12, 2020)

Aunt Bea said:


> IMO elderly should be used to describe a segment of society and never used when referring to an individual.


Yet again I hear those *Beawordsofwisdom. *You are a keeper my friend.

I couldn't agree more. Labels for any groups of people are never a good thing,  and certainly not for individuals.

Unlike several lucky people here, I'm sure I look my age of 76. While I was in the hospital some of the staff spoke to me in a condescending (but respectful) manner and it really bothered me. My feeling was that because of my age, they wrongfully assumed that my sharp brain was in some way diminished.

 I feel my brain is no less sharp than it was when I was much younger, so I was slightly insulted by the automatic assumption. By the time I left the hospital after a week of non stop questions from me about my condition, everyone knew I was sharper than many  people decades younger.

Sadly I know far too much about dementia, as I cared for my own father who didn't know who I was, or thought I was my Mom. "The lights are on but nobody's home." Tragic, to be sure.

My family assures me that I have no sign of any kind of dementia and I pray it stays that way.

My point is I resent anyone assuming I must have lost a marble or two because of my age.


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## Ruthanne (Sep 12, 2020)

I guess the word Elderly bothers some but not me.  It  depends on what associations you have with the word Elderly.  I just think of Elderly as older folks who may be more frail now.


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## Mahatma (Sep 13, 2020)

a few years ago it was my grandsons birthday and i had forgotten... so i dashed out to a local store that also sold cards, and i selected a 21st birthday card, when i took it to the counter the lady smiled at me, she was in her forties, she said "this is a really nice card, is it for your son?" "no" i replied "my grandson" i have never seen a redder face, it was an amazing blush, i reached out and patted her hand "an easy mistake, i was a child bride" erm i should add here i am a male


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## fancicoffee13 (Sep 13, 2020)

hollydolly said:


> I heard on the news recently a report on a woman being run over.. they described her as ''an elderly 60 year old woman''... whaaaat???  I"m 5 years older at 65.. and this is me.. I don't think of myself as being _anywhere _near elderly


You're kidding!  You look like you're in your 40's there!


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## hollydolly (Sep 13, 2020)

fancicoffee13 said:


> You're kidding!  You look like you're in your 40's there!


Bless you, that's very kind....  the photo in my avatar was taken in my late 50's


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## fancicoffee13 (Sep 13, 2020)

Kayelle said:


> Yet again I hear those *Beawordsofwisdom. *You are a keeper my friend.
> 
> I couldn't agree more. Labels for any groups of people are never a good thing,  and certainly not for individuals.
> 
> ...


And after a certain age, people don't regard your words as worth a lot anymore.  Especially when your children are the grandparents, you are the elderly!


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## Gaer (Sep 14, 2020)

"Elderly".  Guess it's better than "decrepit".  hahahaha!
and, People don't call you "agile".  They call you "spry"!


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## fancicoffee13 (Sep 15, 2020)

Gaer said:


> "Elderly".  Guess it's better than "decrepit".  hahahaha!
> and, People don't call you "agile".  They call you "spry"!


Yeah, I don't like the word Elderly, it implies too much!  Decrepid, frail, memory loss, not dependable, etc.


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## drifter (Sep 17, 2020)

Gary O' said:


> I'll just refer to a creation from my taproom thread;


My, my.


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## drifter (Sep 17, 2020)

I have to admit I never gave it much though. I'm an old man and I guess you can call me whatever you like.
I may have at some point referred to my self as élderly.'  But it's a thought.


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## seascene (Sep 22, 2020)

Elderly is an astonishing word to be interpreted as  a grand privilege.   Sadly so many will never be called elderly.


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## Don M. (Sep 22, 2020)

"Elderly", "old guy", "senior", etc., etc., is OK by me....I'm just happy to still be around to hear it.


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## Capt Lightning (Sep 25, 2020)

I'm a "crumbly".


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## jujube (Sep 25, 2020)

If you look up "elderly" in the dictionary, there's a picture of me, taken first thing in the morning.  Sad, sad, sad.

Now......do I _feel_ elderly? First thing in the morning, yep. The rest of the day, the 12-year-old Inner Child tries to overpower the 72-year-old Outer Hag, which is why the Outer Hag looks so bad in the mirror in the morning.


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## JustBonee (Sep 25, 2020)




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## IrisSenior (Sep 25, 2020)

'Elderly' means (to me) a very old person - like in their -90's. Not me yet. Cripes, I probably won't live to that age.


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## jerry old (Sep 25, 2020)

Teens hanging out at grocery store of strip malls get real mouthy-there is nothing i can do about it -What-smack them with my cane?


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## Pecos (Sep 25, 2020)

Gaer said:


> I know! Holly!  Neither do I and I'm in my 70's!


Gaer, you sure don't look "elderly" to me.


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## Pecos (Sep 25, 2020)

hollydolly said:


> I heard on the news recently a report on a woman being run over.. they described her as ''an elderly 60 year old woman''... whaaaat???  I"m 5 years older at 65.. and this is me.. I don't think of myself as being _anywhere _near elderly


You are nowhere near "elderly."


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## Gaer (Sep 25, 2020)

Pecos said:


> Gaer, you sure don't look "elderly" to me.


Thank you Pecos!  You are the sweetest man!  I don't feel my age!  I don't even know how I GOT  this old!


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## Kayelle (Sep 29, 2020)

Jane Fonda (like her or not) has always given the classy answer to her timeless good looks. "I've been blessed with good genes".  I dare say, she's also had her share of $$$$ excellent "help".


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