Old Age Mendoza Line

[Max Rockatansky]

Since this kind of came up in another thread what is everyone's take on when someone suddenly becomes "old?"  I think most people have a particular age in mind as something of a Mendoza Line (Baseball reference) cut-off for when old age begins.  For my parents that line was definitely 30 years of age which I think might have been something of a consensus for their generation.  I tend to view old age as not something that ought to be quantified as a particular age but more so a decline in mental/physical faculties.  For example; I think a lot of people would consider being over 40 as a cut-off for old age but I wouldn't necessarily consider that to be the case if someone not in a form of mental or physical decline.

[GaryV]

Five years older than my age.

[JayhawkCO]

Old? 70.
Older? 60.

Chris

[Rothman]

40 is old.

[gonealookin]

A side issue to mental capabilities is attitude.  My mother was about 67 when she said "One day I woke up and I was OLD!"  Before that she was socially active, played golf, etc.; after that point it was sitting around watching TV, getting fat and dragging on to 80 before dying.

My father is 89 now (he and Mom divorced decades ago and he's been remarried for nearly 40 years), still has a pretty good attitude and doesn't seem particularly eager to die, but pretty much zero capability physically.  He probably wasn't "old" until his early 80s.

I realize my own life is at least 2/3 complete.  I do hope to be hiking and bicycling regularly, and taking road trips which might require 600 miles/day driving, for another 15 years or so.  Shoveling snow...hmmm, I have maybe two more heavy snow winters in me before I call it quits there.

[formulanone]

I wouldn't say 40 is "old", but it's a good starting point for early-onset WGASA for dismissing anything that seems unimportant or flavor-of-the-minute.

[KeithE4Phx]

40 is old.

It won't be when you turn 40.  I speak from experience.

I'm 65.  That makes me the same age as old geezers.  Now get off my lawn! 

[kkt]

There's not a single line and different people age differently.  My grandmother was sharper at 89 than my father was at 60.

[1995hoo]

40 is old.

I definitely do not feel old. On the other hand, it is sobering to realize that my father died at 72 (which I think is young to die) and that means I'm only 25 years away from that age.

[webny99]

To me, the 30's are on one side of middle-aged, and the 40's are on the other. Anything younger than 30 is young, and anything older than 50 is, well, old.

[hbelkins]

I'm 59. Mentally, I don't feel old at all. I turn the music up too loud sometimes and laugh at sophomoric jokes. I have a hard time contemplating the fact that people would think I'm old (see some responses upthread here) when I myself don't think so at all.

Physically, it's a different story. I'm starting to suffer aches and pains that I didn't have 10 years ago. Of course, my knees felt like a piece of fabric was being ripped in two every time I walked inclines or climbed steps when I was in my 20s, so there's that.

I'm starting to look old. I've always thought that when people lose weight, it makes their appearance age, and that happened to me when I lost 60 pounds year before last. My face became drawn. I'm also getting more gray by the day, and I've been keeping my hair cut really short to let air get to my psoriasis spots and keep them dry, so I look almost bald, when in reality if I let my hair grow I'd be far from it.

[Rothman]

40 is old.

It won't be when you turn 40.  I speak from experience.

I'm a bit beyond 40.  40 is old.  Anyone who says differently is fearing getting old.

[JayhawkCO]

40 is old.

It won't be when you turn 40.  I speak from experience.

I'm a bit beyond 40.  40 is old.  Anyone who says differently is fearing getting old.

I don't know.  I'm about to turn 39 and I still climb mountains.  To each their own.

Chris

[Rothman]

40 is old.

It won't be when you turn 40.  I speak from experience.

I'm a bit beyond 40.  40 is old.  Anyone who says differently is fearing getting old.

I don't know.  I'm about to turn 39 and I still climb mountains.  To each their own.

Chris

Who says you have to stop climbing mountains just because you're old?

[Max Rockatansky]

40 is old.

It won't be when you turn 40.  I speak from experience.

I'm a bit beyond 40.  40 is old.  Anyone who says differently is fearing getting old.

I don't know.  I'm about to turn 39 and I still climb mountains.  To each their own.

Chris

Who says you have to stop climbing mountains just because you're old?

Its a common to see older hikers in California.  I ran into a couple in their 60s at Devils Postpile National Monument a couple years ago who were in the middle of doing the entire Pacific Crest Trail alone. 

I do wonder when people will stop calling me "young man."  That always seemed to me like that should have stopped before I was 30 and not potentially into my 40s.

[KeithE4Phx]

40 is old.

It won't be when you turn 40.  I speak from experience.

I'm a bit beyond 40.  40 is old.  Anyone who says differently is fearing getting old.

40 is far from old.  As I said, I'm 65, and I am not old.  I may not be able to physically do as much as I used to, but my mind is still sharp and that is what matters.  I've seen dementia up close and personal (my mother, who will be 94 next month), and I can say that if it happens to me, I'd just as soon kick off before that happens. 

I'd love to make it to 120 as long as my mind is intact, even if I end up in a wheelchair and living in an old folks home (which is no way to live, BTW, but for some people it's all they have).  Most of my relatives have lived past 80, so I have that going for me.  The ones that didn't were those who smoked and/or drank to excess, including my father and brother.

[webny99]

I do wonder when people will stop calling me "young man."  That always seemed to me like that should have stopped before I was 30 and not potentially into my 40s.

I guess it means you look young, but it's also something teachers say to their students when they're in trouble, so you could take it as a compliment or an insult. I've never been called "young man" and felt particularly pleased by it.

[jp the roadgeek]

40 is old.

I definitely do not feel old. On the other hand, it is sobering to realize that my father died at 72 (which I think is young to die) and that means I'm only 25 years away from that age.

Or you can be like me and be playing with house money; my dad passed at 42 and I'm 45.  My grandfathers made it to 67 and 76.  All of them smoked (I do not).  I was carded (in a place where they don't card everyone) once when I was 39.   

[Max Rockatansky]

I do wonder when people will stop calling me "young man."  That always seemed to me like that should have stopped before I was 30 and not potentially into my 40s.

I guess it means you look young, but it's also something teachers say to their students when they're in trouble, so you could take it as a compliment or an insult. I've never been called "young man" and felt particularly pleased by it.

The context it usually is said in generally seems to be someone is trying to insinuate that I don't know what I'm talking about because of my age.  Usually in that circumstance I generally retort with my actual age and it gets backed down substantially. 

[webny99]

I do wonder when people will stop calling me "young man."  That always seemed to me like that should have stopped before I was 30 and not potentially into my 40s.

I guess it means you look young, but it's also something teachers say to their students when they're in trouble, so you could take it as a compliment or an insult. I've never been called "young man" and felt particularly pleased by it.

The context it usually is said in generally seems to be someone is trying to insinuate that I don't know what I'm talking about because of my age.  Usually in that circumstance I generally retort with my actual age and it gets backed down substantially.

Ah, OK. I don't seem to have that problem because I look quite a bit older than I actually am. I'm 21, but I wouldn't be shocked if someone guessed I was 30. That's dreadful in it's own right, though. I always like it when people call me "bud" or "buddy", sort of like an acknowledgement that I'm not an old guy just yet.

[JayhawkCO]

40 is old.

It won't be when you turn 40.  I speak from experience.

I'm a bit beyond 40.  40 is old.  Anyone who says differently is fearing getting old.

I don't know.  I'm about to turn 39 and I still climb mountains.  To each their own.

Chris

Who says you have to stop climbing mountains just because you're old?

I guess no one, but I just don't feel physically different than when I was 25 or so.  No extra aches and pains here.

Chris

[RobbieL2415]

80

[jeffandnicole]

I'm 46, and that doesn't seem old.  Even when I was young, I would put old starting at 50.  Now, I would consider old at around 70.

[Max Rockatansky]

40 is old.

It won't be when you turn 40.  I speak from experience.

I'm a bit beyond 40.  40 is old.  Anyone who says differently is fearing getting old.

I don't know.  I'm about to turn 39 and I still climb mountains.  To each their own.

Chris

Who says you have to stop climbing mountains just because you're old?

I guess no one, but I just don't feel physically different than when I was 25 or so.  No extra aches and pains here.

Chris

I'm actually in better shape now than I was then.  My distance run time has fallen over a minute per mile, can life more and I sleep way better than I did at 25.  Everyone told me back then I would be having joint problems and be in a general decline. 

[Henry]

I'm already there...50!