What Age Group Qualifies as Elderly?
Longer lifespans have some people reevaluating the age at which they should be labelled as elderly. Traditionally, the word has referred to someone who is past middle age and has attained maturity. Still, things are changing especially in America. Moreover, the idea of old age is subjective and could mean different things to different people.
Age Chronology
For most people, ageing occurs gradually and usually without any great worry. Nonetheless, in most nations the elderly account for record shares of major population categories and have higher rates of chronic diseases and mortality than their contemporaries. When we call someone elderly, most of the time we are referring to their chronological age—that is, their years since birth. Still, this measure is not always the best estimate of someone's age. For example, someone who follows a decent diet, receives regular exercise, and keeps good health may seem young for her chronological age even if she has wrinkles or grey hair. On the other hand, most doctors view someone who lives alone in her house, has no social contact, and has several health problems to be elderly regardless of her real age. These variances show how everyone develops differently. Many academics these days are investigating substitutes for chronological age to determine someone's age.
Social Level
In a society obsessed with youth, ageing is considered as a negative thing. Moreover, it usually relates to ill health and frailty. Still, among individuals who outlast their predecessors, the idea that ageing need not be a negative one is becoming more and more popular. Often used to indicate old age is the years that have gone by since birth, or chronological age. Though personal, the assessment is quite correct. For instance, AARP welcomes members as early as age 50 while Medicare begins paying benefits at age 65. Other factors include retirement, self-care techniques, and having grandchildren could also be relevant when someone is designated as senior. Still, not everyone believes that these traits point to advanced age. For example, some people who suffer with consistent memory loss may not think their age sets them apart from others experiencing similar symptoms. In a same line, ageing does not always result in grey hair.
Physical Fitness
Ageism can arise from calling someone "senior" only based on their grey hair or wrinkles. The same is true for grouping seniors based on common health problems connected to ageing such as dementia and arthritis. In a therapeutic setting, a person's age at which they become elderly may change depending on their current condition of health and the drugs they take. Their manner of living and dietary habits could possibly be relevant in this. Given many people begin earning social security and other retirement benefits at this age, 60 to 65 is frequently seen as the old in society. But this age might change in the future if life expectancy keeps rising and "rejuvenation" gets more prevalent. One can also determine a person's actual age by considering their capacity to perform daily tasks as eating, dressing, and walking. Their cognitive skills, like memory and problem-solving capacity, could possibly affect this.
Individuality
Longer-lived people can feel younger than their true age. The discrepancy between a person's perceived and actual age is their subjective age. Having led part of the research into subjective age, Yannick Stephan, assistant professor of health and ageing psychology at the University of Montpellier in France, notes, "It's a powerful predictor of things like physical health and mental sharpness, which are based on intuitive information." In one long-term study, researchers found that subjective age was influenced by cohort trends in a spectrum of variables including diseases, education, and loneliness. Still, they did not find that this explained the historical inclination towards feeling younger. One of several factors that define whether or not someone is considered elderly is their living surroundings. In the future, someone's age considered elderly could drop to as low as 50. That will only happen, though, if we keep pushing forward to prolong life.
