Old?

...... is someone considered old in their late 30's, late 40's late 50's etc.... or what?

I heard a few teenagers, approximate age 17ish, say that someone was considered old once they reach 35 . .

eeeek.

My son thinks 40 something is old, however I think 80 upwards is old.

I think maybe 70 upwards is old. And I think middle age starts at around 50 or so.

Middle age starts at 50? How many people live till they're 100?

I think 'old' is around 45.

The age we think someone is old, moves the older we get.

10 years older than I am...been that way since I hit 30

Middle age hits when you have kids.

Old age when you start looking at retirement and if your pension is enough.

When your doctor knows you by your name without checking the file, you're CTD.

I'm 40 - my daughter thinks I'm old

I don't - you're only as old as you feel

Lynn xx

That's because you're still in your 20's. :curse:

I intend to live well into my 90's, so guess that makes me at 48 middle aged, not old. I've known people who are "old" in their 20's and I've known people who are "young" in their 60's.

What is old anyway? Is it how you feel or is it a physical thing or is it simply a numbers thing? If it's how you feel then you can be old at any age. Same with physical - someone who has a debilitating disease may feel old in their teens or 20's where someone who's fit and healthy may not feel old ever. If it's simply a number then I would have to say 70+.

I would say old is when you're at the end of long life cycle.
Elderly?60+

A lot here so I'm not even middle aged yet - thanks.

I guess I'd always thought 'old' meant retirement/Songs of Praise/flask of tea and tartan rug sitting in the car/bowls evenings....

However, as retirement age is now a moving feast may be the age society considers 'old' will change significantly.

Old age has been replaced by Grey Power.

I can testify to the grey. Not sure about the power.

Bawahahaha...let's hear back from you when you're 40 then and about ready for your senior bus pass...

I agree with Dorothy. It's a lot more than a numbers game. It's health, vitality, state of mind, everything. I've met twenty-somethings who are smokers, drinkers, unfit, stuck in a rut, semi-depressed, complaining about everything, and adverse to change who seem "older" to me than my former yoga teacher who at 60 was fitter and healthier than the 30 year olds in her class, who travelled the world, had a ton of hobbies she enjoyed, a job she loved, and a real zest for life. The twenty year olds were the walking dead. The granny yoga instructor could have showed them a thing or two about being young.

The average age of first time mothers is over 30 in a lot of countries. As more kids stay home well into their 20s, only begin families in their 30s, and work past retirement, I think the societal definition of "old" is a moving target as well. In my mother's and grandmother's generation, I think that people expected someone in their 40s and early 50s to be a grandparent already as a matter of fact, thus "old." This is no longer the case, looking from a demographic point of view. Parents having their first kids through their 30s usually are not (for the most part) grandparents in their early to mid-40s. Even "seniors" these days work or volunteer well past retirement, either due to financial necessity or for personal reasons. Both of my children's grandmothers are in their 70s and work or volunteer (at least 3x a week). Getting old is a matter of personal perspective. My 74 year old mother-in-law says if she didn't volunteer, have her hobbies, travel, well, she'd just sit in a rocker all day by the window and would definitely "feel old."

When I was 18, I thought 30 was "old." Ha. A friend and I were laughing the other day, "Remember when we thought 30 was ancient? Hilarious." It's all a matter of perspective...

When I was in my early 20s, I used to think 50 was senior citizen land, next stop, 4:30 dinners and bingo at the care centre. Now I'm like, "Hmm...50...isn't that just 40s with a bit more experience? That's not old."