Thursday Thought: How Dare You Call Us "Elderly"? - Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess - United States

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~100 ·

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Thursday Thought: How Dare You Call Us "Elderly"?

We're Boomers. We're alive. We're thriving. We're not dead yet.

We are NOT elderly.

Recently, I have become aware of newscasters talking about those in accidents / house fires / holdups being labeled "elderly." At the ripe old age of maybe 70.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

When I was a little kid, yes, I'm sure I thought 70 was "old." Heck, I'm sure I thought 20 was old.

Our parents retired at 60+/-, proud to be able to kick back and do NOTHING, and if they were lucky, they lived another 10 years (my dad died at 71). And honestly, they were elderly in many ways. Being shut out of the workforce, not having a reason to get up every morning and DO something important, and just lying around all day ruined their later years in many cases.

The old adage of "Use it or lose it" was very true for them. They went from being busy, busy, busy to ... not.

The concept of a second or third life stage hadn't occurred yet, reinventing themselves wasn't a concept they would have understood, and their lives were much shorter than ours are today, or our kids' lives will be for them.

Fast-forward to 2017.

Even though we joke about 50 being the new 30, and 70 being the new 50, there's still a lot of truth in it.

We take much better care of ourselves than our parents did, partly because we know so much more about successful aging. We know about the right foods to eat. We know the importance of regular exercise for the mind and the body. We have much better medical care in most cases. We know that social isolation makes aging much more difficult, so we connect more. And of course there's the Internet, which allows us to learn anything we want to, without necessarily leaving our home!

Many of us Boomers put in our 30+ years in the regular 9-5 work world, and then we reinvented ourselves along the lines of things we'd always hoped to do. That's not what most of our parents did or would have even considered doing, right?

Many of us found activities that help us stay active like teaching yoga, working abroad, becoming an entrepreneur (like the Grammar Goddess), getting a college degree -- activities to keep us "young" for the next 30-40 years that we expect to live.

Activities that give our lives purpose.

Activities that keep us alive in the best sense of the word.

A good friend, Beth Sobiloff, even started Two Grannies on the Road a few years ago with Ginny Just to find, interview, and celebrate older Americans who plan to live to a ripe old age with vigor. Who are not taking this aging thing lying down. Who are active, energetic, and still relevant into their 90s -- maybe older. Who have discovered that second or third life they can now live. They have interviewed a wide variety of "elders," and their video interviews are on YouTube.

Now, don't get me wrong: Growing older does have its aches and pains. Body parts sometimes argue with the mind that wants the body to run! Walk? OK, crawl. But there are pain relievers for a reason, and on slower days, we still walk. We plot. We plan. We execute. We share the laughter about it all, and we get on with it.

So when I hear announcers call a 70-year-old driver elderly, I want to scream.

Let's recognize seniors for what we are: strong people who are still hanging in. Still hanging on. Still interested in our world, the one we helped to create and the one we're still very involved in and fascinated by!

Here are a couple of other articles on this topic you might enjoy:

This Spunky Old Broad is Hanging on by her Fingernails

Spunky Old Broad Indeed

What have you done as an older person to stay relevant? Did you reinvent yourself? Please share your experiences here.

If this post made you laugh, cry, or want to scream -- I hope you will find it to be relevant, and share it with your connections. Let's be sure to have wonderful conversations about this issue and any others that affect our society today.

You can find all my other posts on my website, GrammarGoddess.com.

#Boomers #Spunky Old Broad #Thursday #Us #Elderly

Comments

Ken Boddie

6 years ago #45

#61
if the cap fits, Susan. 🤗

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #44

#66
Yeah it is, but I had to look the word up to be sure. Don't see it much anymore. I do see an occasional one here where I live on the bay; summer does bring out some . . . interesting clothing choices.

Lisa Vanderburg

6 years ago #43

#65
Me too....WTF with those storms and EARTHQUAKE too??????? Oh, so that's how you spell Muumuu; did wonder. My grandmother (Granny Grimm) used to have those fantastic cotton Barbados/African ones - can find them for love or money. She taught me how to hitch them up, climb over the fence and steal the neighbors bananas....such a peach!

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #42

#64
Over my dead body in terms of muumuus, Lisa Vanderburg! Now the shopping wheeled thingy I could understand . . . some day. Some day faaaaaaaaaar off, I hope! And it's great news that your family is safe and is getting out of Dodge, as they say. I feel so sorry for the folks who have nowhere to go out of the area. Sure am praying for them.

Lisa Vanderburg

6 years ago #41

#59
Hey...while the world is shattering and my son, wife & baby are on the road to get out of Irma's way, you buzz came at just the right time...I'm eternally grateful for the laugh you inspired, lovely Susan \ud83d\udc1d Rooks, the Grammar Goddess! I'm getting to the point where Mumu's are looking exciting, as is the shopping wheeled-thingie :)

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #40

#57
So true, Nicole Chardenet! Growing old is really a p;rivilege; most of us know others who didn't make it even this far.

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #39

#56
There is some truth to "you're only as old s you feel," Proma \ud83d\udc1d Nautiyal! I find that esp;ecially with those types you mentioned who really are NOT old at all!

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #38

#49
Ken Boddie, are you saying YOU'RE perfect . . . or I am? Or WE are? Yeah, that's good.

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #37

#48
Without a doubt we DO, Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador! We sure do.

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #36

#55
One of the many reasons I no longer wear bathing suits, Lisa Vanderburg, even though I live on a bay with a lovely one. Short-sleeved shirts work just fine! And I'm even happier with long-sleeved shirts!

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #35

Lisa Vanderburg, thanks so much for sharing my post in all those hives! Yikes, 13 says the notice I got.

Proma Nautiyal

6 years ago #34

Lovely buzz Susan \ud83d\udc1d Rooks, the Grammar Goddess! Such a beautiful take on the matter. I can't wait to share this with all those people, whom I know, who are barely 60 and keep saying "I am old" as a reply to invitations to go trekking or even when asked to sport a particular outfit. Upon the topic of reinventing yourself, I have heard things such as "We have lived our lives without this particular skill, and we can live the rest of it without learning it, too." So, you can imagine what a great favor you have done me by posting this buzz. Sharing it :-) Thank you for such a powerful buzz...it's extremely inspiring.

Lisa Vanderburg

6 years ago #33

LMAO at all your lovely dudettes' banter, Susan \ud83d\udc1d Rooks, the Grammar Goddess!! Such a fun buzz! I remember the day came when I was shaving my armpits. After showering I went to put on deodorant and realized I'd 'missed'....my armpits have dropped....augh! And since I've been growing grey since 18, guess what else is? The horror.... I've decided in my dotage that 'm a Twinkie....at least I think that's what...dunno...can't remember...what?

Lisa Vanderburg

6 years ago #32

#3
haha.....

Lisa Gallagher

6 years ago #31

#44
Agree Susan \ud83d\udc1d Rooks, the Grammar Goddess and he's a very likable man. I don't think he has any enemies. :)

Ken Boddie

6 years ago #30

Ha ha. Growing older and bolder, Susan. But you can't reinvent what's already perfect. 😇

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #29

#46
By less than a year, m'dear. 4/13/46 if my math skills are correct . . .

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #28

#37
Well, Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador, when you reach the age I've reached . . . :-)

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #27

#39
And that's what it's all about, Lisa \ud83d\udc1d Gallagher! Your 70-year-old stepdad sounds like a guy I would like! Having fun. Making money. Feeling good and having a reason to get up every morning. Thank goodness for second and third "lives," right?

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #26

#40
Yeah, Lynda Spiegel, that distant memory of firm skin . . . it's one of the reasons I love wearing long sleeves. Some days I look at my hands and lower arms and wonder who they belong to! But other than that? Healthy, happy, busy. Life is Good!

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #25

#41
And what's even funnier than you and I writing about this (from different angles, but so what), Wayne Yoshida also wrote one on aging two days ago! What is with us old farts, anyway? OK, let me go look at yours. Anyone else wanna write one?

Wayne Yoshida

6 years ago #24

Excellent, Susan \ud83d\udc1d Rooks, the Grammar Goddess -- I received a shock quite some time ago when a little kid asked me, "Hey mister, what time is it?" And I said, "There's a clock on the wall over there." The kid never learned how to tell time with "big hand and little hand." Scary. Along similar lines, I wrote this about the next phase of our lives -- it applies to all social media outlets and our personal brands . . . https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/retired-dead-your-linkedin-profile-obiturary-wayne-yoshida

Lisa Gallagher

6 years ago #23

This buzz is great Susan \ud83d\udc1d Rooks, the Grammar Goddess. I know I used to refer to 70 year old's as Elderly when I was younger and as I entered my late 40's well 70 didn't seem old to me at all anymore and that far away. As we know, time seems to fly the older we get. Older in numbers but not in many other ways as you mentioned above. My 81 year young step dad never stopped his routines after he retired. As a matter of fact he opened up an ebay store after finding he could go to garage sales and find good buys only to re-sell and make money from them. He makes approximately 4-5K per year and has fun doing it. He still works out daily (he was in the Army Nat. Guard) and had to keep in shape, so he's never given up on that either. Older and wiser but not elderly.

Gloria (Glo) Ochoa

6 years ago #22

#17
hahahaha Aleta Curry ! I totally remember having to unhook the cord from the handset to the phone to untangle..! It was on of my peeves to leave it that way! I was stylin' in the 80's when I got my own first big purchase with babysitting money: all in 1: am/fm radio, 8-track, cassette record player WITH stand! LOL I wish I had a picture of it! hahahah I would sit next to it with the phone cord dragged all the way down the hallway talking to my friends...aaahhhhh...the simpler days lol

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #21

#28
Yeah, Lyon Brave, ma'am is odd for sure, and yes. I know it's meant as a term of respect, so I take it for what it is.

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #20

#34
And you're welcome, Dominique \ud83d\udc1d Petersen; I appreciate that you understood what I wrote about!

Dominique 🐝 Petersen

6 years ago #19

I agree with you! And I've seen articles that called 60-something-year-olds "elderly"! PUL-EESE!

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #18

#29
Lyon Brave -- could we have that, please?

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #17

Harley King! Thanks so much for sharing my post today! I really appreciate it, and it's nice to see you here.

Lyon Brave

6 years ago #16

ma' am Javier \ud83d\udc1d beBee can i get an edit comment button for the typos I so frequently make while texting at the bus stop.

Lyon Brave

6 years ago #15

#27
You are welcome. Thank you for taking the time to share your views. Know that I think about it, I don't like when people call me ma'ma to be honest, though they say it to be respectful. I prefer miss.

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #14

Lyon Brave, here's the reality of words: one means "this" to me but it may "that" to you (and others). My posts reflect my views, and I don't like the word elderly because it describes someone who is feelble. Unable. Lacking due to advanced age. And that all comes from how I HEAR the word said -- often with pity. With sadness. I know that elder is a mark of respect in many cultures, and it's no sin to be old. I'm just reacting to the need to call anyone my age elderly, which is something I don't hope to feel until I'm about 100. And maybe not even then! Thanks for taking the time to comment; I really appreciate it!

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #13

#22
LOVE that, Nicole Chardenet! Thanks!

Lyon Brave

6 years ago #12

You said, "So when I hear announcers call a 70-year-old driver elderly, I want to scream," but they you say, "Let's recognize seniors." Do you feel seniors is a more respectful of important word because they imply the same thing. In the bible it says gray hair is a crown and many rap songs talk about the blessing of getting to old age. I understand not liking the word, maybe the African Americans don't always like the term African American, but elderly is not really demagoguery. I feel like most cultures are raised to respect their elders and therefore it is a good expression. To be elder is to have lived and not die before your time, which is not guaranteed for anybody.

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #11

#11
Ah, @Brian McKenzie -- the stats don't say we have to all be considered elderly -- it's a label I'm trying to put the spotlight on. The mere fact that someone is in their 70s doesn't mean they're not vital and vibrant.

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #10

#15
Now, see? That's perfect, Lance \ud83d\udc1d Scoular! Mature is so much more respectful and friendly than elderly . . .

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #9

#4
It's funny either way, Aleta Curry! Thanks!

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #8

#14
Gloria \ud83d\udc1d \ud83d\udc3e \ud83d\udcab \u2615 (Glo) Ochoa, I LOVE the term Zoomers! Thanks for a good early morning laugh.

Devesh 🐝 Bhatt

6 years ago #7

#11
but an example that people can live long enough despite all the problems.

Lance 🐝 Scoular

6 years ago #6

Well I'm from the 40's (a 49'er to be precise) and I prefer the term Mature, as in a good wine 🍷😁

Gloria (Glo) Ochoa

6 years ago #5

This totally made me laugh! Spot on with humor! ~~~~~ "when I hear announcers call a 70-year-old driver elderly, I want to scream.Let's recognize seniors for what we are: strong people who are still hanging in." ~ Susan \ud83d\udc1d Rooks, the Grammar Goddess

Gloria (Glo) Ochoa

6 years ago #4

@Nicole Chardenet ROTFL! ohhh smack someone with an 8track! hahahahah This is a great post ! I think we are called "Zoomers" but not sure ...maybe: dont put me in no box...Ill beat you with my phone that is on a 10 foot cord! LOL

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #3

#3
Well, Aleta Curry, since I only speak American English, no. I don't know what means in any other version of English or any other language. Feel free to enlighten me! And I know that each age has its issues, so feel free to take a swing at me and mine. And if elderly didn't suggest to most that the person is feeble, not wth it, old beyond belief, I wouldn't mind it either. But it does to too many. Thanks for your comments! I appreciate your taking the time.

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

6 years ago #2

#1
Thanks, Phil Friedman! Since I'm among the earliest of the Boomers, I feel particularly enraged when someone my age is described as elderly. To me that means some in his/her dotage, falling down, feeble, irrelevant. Probably 110, and maybe older. Glad you enjoyed it!

Phil Friedman

6 years ago #1

How did that well-worn saying go? Never trust anyone under 50? Well, maybe that was it... and maybe not. My memory for details isn't what it used to be. :-) Nice piece... and fun, Susan \ud83d\udc1d Rooks, the Grammar Goddess.

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