By 2030, the population of older adults in the United States could see an increase to 71 million (Robinson, Dauenhauer, Bishop, & Baxter, 2012). That means approximately 20% of the population! Older adults are living longer and healthier lives. They are defeating the stereotypes that we, the younger generations, have typically used to describe them. Terms such as "elderly" are not necessarily politically correct. Identifying them as "seniors" isn't all that nice, either, because many of them do not even physically feel their chronological age. I prefer to use the term "older adult." They are older in years, but they have lived through so much and THAT is what makes them the older generation. Older adults are the best resources for younger generations. We can learn so much from them!
Think about your grandparents or other older adults you know for a minute...What do they do on a daily basis? What are their interests? How active are they in their 60s, 70s, 80s...even 90s? Are they experiencing a lot of health concerns that prevent them from remaining independent? What have they taught you? If you were to call them elderly, how would they respond?
My grandma is incredibly active and she is almost 80 years old! She plays tennis, goes for walks, and loves to play with her grandchildren...
So, let's review...
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What to say
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What NOT
to say
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Older adult
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Elderly
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Field of Gerontology
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Senior citizen
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Late adulthood
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Geezer
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Older generation
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Old people
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References
Owens, A. (2008, Oct 21). Is "elderly" politically correct? [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://blog.aarp.org/2008/10/21/is_elderly_politically_correct/
Robinson, L.M., Dauenhauer, J., Bishop, K.M., & Baxter, J. (2012). Growing health disparities for persons who are aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities: The social work linchpin. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 55(2), 175-190, DOI:10.1080/01634372.2011.644030
Holly, thank you for this very informative post! I did not even realize that I was using phrases in the "what NOT to say" column--even as a helping professional! I think it is important that we educate other helping professionals and our clients on how to refer to this meaningful, productive, and important generation in our society. P.S. Loved the picture of your grandmother and your family--good memories :)
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