What do the 55 plus want to be called?

[Kathleen Shaffer]

Do you like any of these labels? boomer - senior - senior citizen - elder - older adult - active adult - old wise one? Or do you have a term you like that is not listed?

[Thad]

Do you like any of these labels? boomer - senior - senior citizen - elder - older adult - active adult - old wise one? Or do you have a term you like that is not listed?

Over The Speed Limit

[theindependenteye]

"He's an older guy" if there's some need for identification or description. "Senior" if there's a discount attached to it. Absolutely anything but "consumer."

Cheers--
Conrad

[Dixon]

Do you like any of these labels? boomer - senior - senior citizen - elder - older adult - active adult - old wise one? Or do you have a term you like that is not listed?

In reference to myself, I'm kinda partial to "old fart", "geezer" or "codger" (I do so enjoy geezing and codging).

In reference to other oldsters, I've always tended to use the term "old folks". I'm sure that's politically incorrect in some circles. Fortunately, I don't give a damn.

[Shandi]

Do you like any of these labels? boomer - senior - senior citizen - elder - older adult - active adult - old wise one? Or do you have a term you like that is not listed?

I think it's understood that they all mean the same thing, although they may be used for different reasons. The term "senior" seems to apply with most agencies offering services or businesses offering discounts.

Active adult is handy when marketing to those seniors who are "active", as opposed to those who aren't.

I don't care what I'm called, as long as I'm called in time for dinner.

Why do you ask?

[cocreator]

While I love the suggestion "Over the Speed Limit" and will probably use it at some point (not QUITE there yet ), my personal favorite is one I saw in a produce market in Colorado a few years ago: "chronologically gifted." I did use this phrase in my piece on turning 50: Life in the Middle Ages

I think 'elder' is nice, as it signifies respect in most cultures. Louise Hay (now 84 years wise) coined the term, "Elders of Excellence" awhile back. Has a ring to it, don't you think?

Blessings all ∞

Do you like any of these labels? boomer - senior - senior citizen - elder - older adult - active adult - old wise one? Or do you have a term you like that is not listed?

[anathstryx]

While I love the suggestion "Over the Speed Limit" and will probably use it at some point (not QUITE there yet ), my personal favorite is one I saw in a produce market in Colorado a few years ago: "chronologically gifted." I did use this phrase in my piece on turning 50: Life in the Middle Ages

I think 'elder' is nice, as it signifies respect in most cultures. Louise Hay (now 84 years wise) coined the term, "Elders of Excellence" awhile back. Has a ring to it, don't you think?

Blessings all ∞

I like Over The Speed Limit...lol...and Elder. I'm afraid I'll have to pass on "Elders of Excellence", though, as a general term. Because one has achieved elder/senior status does not necessarily mean they deserve the honorific "excellence". I've known too many elders who came way short of excellence. Respect should be earned. While I may respect the fact that a person managed to survive 60, 70, 80 years and will happily assist them with a sympathetic understanding of creaky joints, erratic neural misfires, mutinous bladders, and moth-eaten pocketbooks, old age does not necessarily imply wisdom or having achieved some level of excellence, or even in some cases, a modicum of common sense (which a friend refers to as Uncommon Sense).

I've known a few elders, in my family and my community, who might be referred to as "Elders of Wonder", as in 'I wonder how the hell you got to be this old and still be so stupid?'

My Father, who is 96, refers to himself as vintage.

An Elder of Doing Okay,
Anathstryx

[cocreator]

Vintage is fabulous! And I quite agree, simply accruing years is no guarantee of wisdom -- though there are at least as many who are Elders of Excellence and worthy of the honorific, as they express their generativity cross-generationally, with humility. My dear friend Ellie, nearly 98, is one such (I've written about her, too, lol: The Love You Make)

When I read your term, Elders of Wonder, I construed it positively: with the eyes of a child, in perpetual amazement at the beauty all around us. Mary Oliver: "When it's over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement."

This is a wondrous dialogue. And blessings on your dear dad @ 96!

I like Over The Speed Limit...lol...and Elder. I'm afraid I'll have to pass on "Elders of Excellence", though, as a general term. Because one has achieved elder/senior status does not necessarily mean they deserve the honorific "excellence". I've known too many elders who came way short of excellence. Respect should be earned. While I may respect the fact that a person managed to survive 60, 70, 80 years and will happily assist them with a sympathetic understanding of creaky joints, erratic neural misfires, mutinous bladders, and moth-eaten pocketbooks, old age does not necessarily imply wisdom or having achieved some level of excellence, or even in some cases, a modicum of common sense (which a friend refers to as Uncommon Sense).

I've known a few elders, in my family and my community, who might be referred to as "Elders of Wonder", as in 'I wonder how the hell you got to be this old and still be so stupid?'

My Father, who is 96, refers to himself as vintage.

An Elder of Doing Okay,
Anathstryx

[Kathleen Shaffer]

Do you like any of these labels? boomer - senior - senior citizen - elder - older adult - active adult - old wise one? Or do you have a term you like that is not listed?

Thanks for all of the suggestions - keep them coming. I'm still looking for something other than boomer that sounds complimentary. I am also on the Senior Center board, and we have had this conversation with no conclusion. The Center, in the past, was called "for the frail and elderly." UGH - that's a great marketing theme.

[Shandi]

Thanks for all of the suggestions - keep them coming. I'm still looking for something other than boomer that sounds complimentary. I am also on the Senior Center board, and we have had this conversation with no conclusion. The Center, in the past, was called "for the frail and elderly." UGH - that's a great marketing theme.

Thanks for letting us know why you were asking. So, it seems that your board was unable to come to a consensus on
what to substitute for "the frail and elderly". That sounds very out of step with the times. If your center is called a
"Senior Center", and you want a more appropriate by-line or theme, there are many choices, but the key is to get
a consensus of your board members.

I'd do some research on what other senior centers use, or maybe you have? It can be a challenge to get everyone to agree,
as evidenced by the responses. If you give yourselves a deadline for agreement, that might help. Please keep us informed
as to your decision.

[Dixon]

Interesting that "elderly" is so negatively connoted while "elder" is the opposite.

Understand that you will never achieve consensus about what terms are best, unless it's consensus among a very small and homogeneous group, which will not well reflect the larger community.

Here's my example of a similar situation: Years ago I managed a drop-in services center for the homeless mentally ill in Santa Rosa. We received a form letter from some organization that listed what were supposedly acceptable and unacceptable terms for mentally ill folks, looking at terms like "person with schizophrenia" as opposed to "schizophrenic", "mental health patient" as opposed to "mental health client", etc. Since all of my employees had major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia (it was supported employment for them), I took the opportunity to ask them what terms they found acceptable or demeaning. Just within that little group of 6 or 7 people, there was no agreement about what terms were good or bad! One person's favorite term would be deemed ugly by another, and vice versa. That taught me a lot about the politically correct game of replacing perfectly good terms with the latest "acceptable" euphemism every few years.

My suggestion, FWIW: Make sure that the real denotations of the words you use are respectful, ignore the arbiters of political correctness, and--bottom line--treat the old folks with respect and that'll shine through regardless of the terminology.

Another idea: poll the old folks at the Senior Center or wherever old folks gather (except the cemetery, whence responses are sparse), or by email if you have an email list of old folks (not including non-elders). (WaccoBB isn't the best place to ask because not all respondents will be old enough to appropriately have a say on this issue.) Then you could just go with the poll results if, by some miracle, they show a strong trend in one direction or another.

[peggykarp]

How we're treated matters a lot more than what we're called. I suggest everyone turn their attention and energies to protecting social security and medicare which are in great danger--under attack from Republicans and not being well enough defended by our president. There will be plenty of time later to discuss what to call ourselves.

[Shandi]

It's true these matters are important. However, sometimes we need some feedback
or suggestions from our community on issues that are up front and important to us
at certain times. This was one of those.....that's why I asked why she wanted to know.

We all know it's not important what we're called, but marketing has to appeal to
a recognizable population. I think "Senior Center" is very understandable, but she
needs to describe the group that it's focused on, and seemed to want something
besides "seniors".

[peggykarp]

I don't think labels are unimportant. But as you said, the name Senior Center seems OK, so I don't understand what the problem is either. The threat to Medicare and Social Security, in contrast, is real and immediate. I think it's important to keep our eyes on the prize. I'm sorry if my comment came across as preachy or holier-than-thou. But I thought the point was worth making.

It's true these matters are important. However, sometimes we need some feedback
or suggestions from our community on issues that are up front and important to us
at certain times. This was one of those.....that's why I asked why she wanted to know.

We all know it's not important what we're called, but marketing has to appeal to
a recognizable population. I think "Senior Center" is very understandable, but she
needs to describe the group that it's focused on, and seemed to want something
besides "seniors".

[hales]

Do you like any of these labels? boomer - senior - senior citizen - elder - older adult - active adult - old wise one? Or do you have a term you like that is not listed?

I think it's really hard to have one word or phrase to call anyone over, say, 55.. because as we age, I think often our circumstance and health become more diverse, not less so.. some get very poor and needy after years of relative security, some get wealthy.. some remain very healthy and active, some pretty much fall apart.. some have made good use of their life experiences to glean some wisdom, whether it be of a practical, material kind, or of a philosophical or spiritual kind.. we certainly can't assume much of anything about people "over 55", except, perhaps that whatever they did with preceding years will have some bearing on their health, circumstances, and awareness, but unforseen factors may also throw some very unexpected things into the mix.. loss of a partner, collapse (or theft) of retirement funds, various life-traumas, etc.. and probably plenty of things may bring unexpected bonuses and abundance to one's life, all of which may make it hard to group us all together.. at the market on Tuesdays, I ask for the "old guy" discount.. I like to use humor, to make light of the undeniable fact that I am getting older.. but I would probably not want to be called that by someone else, except maybe a friend/peer., etc.. I also like to say that "old guys rock".. but again, it's like not telling jokes on an ethnic joke.. it might not always be taken in a benign context.. : ) Senior is kind a standard term that I can live with.. Elder is okay, but I think I'll be more okay with it in say, ten or 20 years.. when I'll be really frigging old.. : ) (no offense to people in their 60s.. just kidding around..) Some people are youthful in their 70s, some are old and stuck in their ways, at a chronologically young age..

[wildirisrose]

Thanks for all of the suggestions - keep them coming. I'm still looking for something other than boomer that sounds complimentary. I am also on the Senior Center board, and we have had this conversation with no conclusion. The Center, in the past, was called "for the frail and elderly." UGH - that's a great marketing theme.

MAESTRA (thank you, Tom Robbins)....w/grandkids...Granala.

[cocreator]

Hales, thanks for illuminating the point about heterogeneity (which is true about every group we "label," lol!):

I can imagine I'll be very different at 55 than, say, at 85, assuming I'm still embodied for the latter. The idea that we can lump both under "senior," "elder," or any other rubric is humorous, if only because there's more than a generational span between them. When I visit the Sebastopol Senior Center now I feel as if I'm a curiosity (50-somethings, take note: it's a great place to hang out if you're feeling "old" ). The same might be said of the young. If a 13-year-old and a 26-year-old are both "young people," does this mean they're the same? The definitions of young and old evolve as we do. When my dear friend Ellie (now 97.5) told me some years back that she was considered a surrogate mom by "lots of young people," I wondered what she meant (I was then in my mid-40s). She replied, "Oh, in their fifties." By the time you're 90, 50 seems young.

How about "evolving"? That applies across the board. "Meet me at the Evolving Center at 4 pm". Hm ...

Blessings, all you morphing folks

I think it's really hard to have one word or phrase to call anyone over, say, 55.. because as we age, I think often our circumstance and health become more diverse, not less so.. some get very poor and needy after years of relative security, some get wealthy.. some remain very healthy and active, some pretty much fall apart.. some have made good use of their life experiences to glean some wisdom, whether it be of a practical, material kind, or of a philosophical or spiritual kind.. we certainly can't assume much of anything about people "over 55", except, perhaps that whatever they did with preceding years will have some bearing on their health, circumstances, and awareness, but unforseen factors may also throw some very unexpected things into the mix.. loss of a partner, collapse (or theft) of retirement funds, various life-traumas, etc.. and probably plenty of things may bring unexpected bonuses and abundance to one's life, all of which may make it hard to group us all together.. at the market on Tuesdays, I ask for the "old guy" discount.. I like to use humor, to make light of the undeniable fact that I am getting older.. but I would probably not want to be called that by someone else, except maybe a friend/peer., etc.. I also like to say that "old guys rock".. but again, it's like not telling jokes on an ethnic joke.. it might not always be taken in a benign context.. : ) Senior is kind a standard term that I can live with.. Elder is okay, but I think I'll be more okay with it in say, ten or 20 years.. when I'll be really frigging old.. : ) (no offense to people in their 60s.. just kidding around..) Some people are youthful in their 70s, some are old and stuck in their ways, at a chronologically young age..

[[email protected]]

We could call ourselves "Oldies but Goodies". How about "Time Travelers"? "Old Schoolers"

"Old Hatters" "Ancient Mariners"? "Wiseacres?"

[Kathleen Shaffer]

Thanks for reminding us that it is important to keep informed about any changes in Medicare and Social Security benefits whatever your age. This affects us all!

And - whatever your preference for the 55 plus label, we can all feel free to label ourselves. I can envision some interesting tee shirts. However, the term senior is descriptive of the age group. I invite all to visit our Senior Center. The atmosphere there is very welcoming, and one of these days I will play ping pong (table tennis for the experts) when my rotator cuff is cooperating.

[podfish]

The AMA has age categories: (not the medical assn, the motorcycle one). "Seniors" are 40, "Super Seniors" are 50, "Masters" are 60. It seems kind of unfair that the 80yr olds have to compete with guys so much younger...

I suppose in our culture we have to age-out (no pun intended) our jargon every so many years? 'cuz you know that "senior" must have been used to replace some other term that was deemed offensive/inaccurate/misleading/boring/.....

[Sherry Moyse]

How about calling them by their name. Just because they are older and wiser doesn't mean they don't like to hear their names. The only difference between the young and the old is the life experiences they have had.

Do you like any of these labels? boomer - senior - senior citizen - elder - older adult - active adult - old wise one? Or do you have a term you like that is not listed?

[Dixon]

It's important to note as a general principle that when referring to large groups of people, there is no term that will please everyone. Any term you choose will please some and piss off others.

Back in the 90s I managed a local Mental Health program and supervised several mentally ill workers. One day we received a letter from some organization which said we shouldn't use this, this or this term for "mentally ill person"; instead this other term was the acceptable one. I ran it by my mentally ill employees. Among them, there was no agreement about which terms they liked or which they found unpleasant. One person would like term A and hate term B, for the next, it'd be the opposite.

I hate the awkward and sometimes expensive process of replacing perfectly serviceable terms with the latest politically correct euphemism every few years. If anyone tries to tell you that you have to change to the latest politically correct term, you have my permission to tell them that Dixon says they should go fuck themselves.

[theindependenteye]

>>>Do you like any of these labels? boomer - senior - senior citizen - elder - older adult - active adult - old wise one? Or do you have a term you like that is not listed?

It's not a matter of correctness; it's a matter of context.

"Boomer" is a cartoon word, useful for headline writers, maybe, but silly in any serious context -- it just sounds frivolous. Apart from that, it's a very specific time span, the postwar baby boom. I'm too old for that; a 55-yr-old is too young.

"Senior" or "senior citizen" is the classification that gets you half-price tickets. It's a political designation. But you'd never say "Conrad is a senior citizen." You'd say "Conrad is an older guy" or something like that. That's just the way the language is.

"Older adult," "active adult"? I would hope I could be considered an adult without having to be labeled one. Sounds insulting, as if expected to don a diaper. Or a bit demented.

"Elder" suggests some kind of place in a tribal community, which is fine if that's what's intended, but not in the general course of mundane life.

"Old wise one" -- I can think of a few, but if you called'em that they'd have a hard time not laughing in your face.

I think "older people" works in most cases, and I'd say "older" rather than "old" simply because it's a relative concept and allows for a range of abilities and conditions.

Nice to respond to something that's not a matter of life or death.

Cheers--
Conrad

[Barry]

"Boomer" is a cartoon word, useful for headline writers, maybe, but silly in any serious context -- it just sounds frivolous. Apart from that, it's a very specific time span, the postwar baby boom. I'm too old for that; a 55-yr-old is too young.

Expand

I take exception to that, you old fart!

First, I don't consider Boomer a cartoon word. It's the name of my generation (born 1956). It doesn't work for the large context of this thread, in that it leaves out the really old folks, er, I mean elders, like you!

Secondly, being 55 (in my case, 56) in 2013 puts you smack dab in the middle of the boomers, or close enough. See Birth Rate per 1000 chart from wikipedia at right.

[Dixon]

It's not a matter of correctness; it's a matter of context.

Ah, Conrad, but in many contexts it does indeed become a matter of correctness--"political correctness". Speaking as someone who has worked a lot of years in human services, I can guarantee you that, in some contexts, if you say "retarded" rather than the clumsier and less specific "developmentally disabled", you can get in trouble. And then there's "African American" (7 damn syllables!) instead of "black", "Asian" instead of the more specific "Oriental", and I'm sure you can come up with a few more such examples yourself.

As one who is currently under consideration for jobs serving the older population, I'm experiencing some anxiety about whether I'll use the "wrong" term for old folks in a job interview and blow my chances. And even when I know and use the current "acceptable" term, I feel some uncomfortable resentment about having to play the politically correct euphemism game.

[theindependenteye]

>>>Secondly, being 55 (in my case, 56) in 2013 puts you smack dab in the middle of the boomers, or close enough. See Birth Rate per 1000 chart from wikipedia at right.

I'll concede the point. However, I should point out that very few babies boom, except those destined for high public office.

Cheers--
CB

[theindependenteye]

I like being an Older Woman -- Elizabeth

[Moon]

Right on, Shandi! And thank you, Dixon, for your dependable geezing and codging. "Chronologically gifted" is a hoot! Of the choices offered in the poll, i picked Boomer, which i'll always be. I dislike the term elder for the same reason Kathleen likes it. To me it connotes deference--not genuine, earned respect. Right now, at 62, i'm middle-aged; in another ten or fifteen years i hope to goodness i have the guts to call myself "old" (though, obviously, it's up to people currently in or past their mid-70's to determine what they're called.) I believe i'll want others to refer to me as an old womon--NOT an "old lady." (Yeah folks, despite anything the corporate media may try to tell you, feminism is alive and well and will be so until we've eliminated rape, forced suttee, Female Genital Cutting and the need for battered womyn's shelters.) Calling 55 "senior" or any other version of "old" is pretty dated; in the US 55 has been middle-aged for quite a while. Yes, good idea to call everyone by name--there are simply times when one needs to name a whole population.

[Dixon]

And thank you, Dixon, for your dependable geezing and codging.

Isn't it comforting to know that in this uncertain world, there's something you can depend on?

Right now, at 62, i'm middle-aged...

The term "middle-aged" is typically defined in such a way as to constitute denial of the fact that we're, by nearly any objective standard, old people. Realistically, 62 (which also happens to be my age) would be "middle age" in a population with an average lifespan of at least 100. Since the average lifespan in the USA nowadays is around 80, "middle age" would be some span of time centered on 40--say about 30 to 50. Almost nobody uses the term thus accurately because nearly everyone is in some degree of denial re: death and aging. Just sayin'.

...feminism is alive and well and will be so until we've eliminated rape, forced suttee, Female Genital Cutting...

I'm sad that you specify female genital cutting. Is male genital cutting okay with you? This is a gender equality issue! If "feminism" (however that may be defined) accepts nonconsensual genital cutting of one gender but not another--well, is that progress, or just reversing the direction of the oppression?

[Sara S]

Personally, I say I'm OLD, which I am, and you can hook that up with whatever descriptive noun you want.

Sara