Geriatric??

I would feel insulted. I wonder if they would call Joan Collins geriatric I saw her in the paper the other day dancing away.

nina I haven't been able to establish when elderly starts let alone geriatric! It surprises me when I see apartments for sale for the over 50s or over 55s which are for the older person. I'm not old yet let alone any of those other words and I'm older than the person you quote!

I've always associated the word 'geriatric' with an older person who is ill - just looked it up and it is that (but it doesn't state what age is considered old). I think it does have negative connotations though doesn't it and maybe it has been misused over the years to mean any older person.

Nonnie - my brother maintains that it is always the next decade to your own that is considered old (and, of course, that will keep changing as you enter that decade )

I can remember, at the ripe old age of about 12, thinking I would kill myself when I reached 21 rather than get THAT old lol

I recall whilst working in Oman for a contractor the term was used for anyone over 40.
This was back in 70`s.
Mick

Rather a bad choice of term, IMO nina although it is of course a medical one. If it's meant to encourage people to go for health checks, then for heavens sake come up with something else!

Nonnie it's all just labels, isn't it? I see those ads for retirement villages/apartments etc, and I find it quite alarming to realise that both Mr P and I qualify!

Add to this the fact that I won't get a state pension for another 10 years, so I will have to continue to work (hah! hollow laugh, I should be so lucky) then I feel it comes under the "insult to injury" category.

Someone please tell me where exactly I fit, qualify for older persons housing, but don't qualify for the pension, free prescriptions, eye tests, dental treatment, winter fuel allowance, bus pass...............

Disgruntled of North Devon

Someone please tell me where exactly I fit

It's funny you should say that phoenix, I was thinking exactly the same this morning and came to the conclusion that I am old enough for them to want income tax, NI contributions and any other taxes off me that they can get but not old enough to actually pay anything out! It's all become a tad one sided hasn't it

I was classed as "elderly prima gravida" when I had my first baby at age 27!

You are not wrong, Holly

It is usually referred to as Age Care Medicine now; I have not heard the term geriatrics for a long time.

Just to add, I will have to face the whole bloody thing that is "signing on" again next week, and what REALLY rankles is that I won't actually qualify for any JSA, so I will be only doing it to keep my N.I. contributions up to date.

Add to that the programme recently about E.U. migrants coming here because of what they will get in benefits............

Extremely pissed off fed up of North Devon

That is why I love the term Senior as opposed to old age pensioner.

To me OAP sounds old !!

Holly I like your brother!

Phoenix I agree but don't want that label hung on me! Told DS yesterday that I intend to live long enough to teach his children to say the things to him that he said to me about old things. We were visiting an old castle at the time! He doesn't have any children yet!

phoenix you may be pleased to hear that you do not qualify for a bed on a Care of the Elderly ward, that is reserved for 60 years and above.

I cannot believe that you do not qualify for JSA. What are you expected to live on, fresh air?

Nonu I totally agree, OAP sounds awful to me whereas I could live with the term a Senior Citizen.

Charleygirl there are 2 types of JSA, contributions based and income based.

I do not qualify for income based, because of Mr P's earnings. Contributions based is assessed on the amount of N.I./stamp you have paid during the last 2 tax years. Because I have been out of work, it is unlikely that I have accrued enough N.I. contributions.

Hence my anger at incomers arriving and getting benefit.

CHARLEY be very careful though as there are some on this forum who dislike SENIOR very much.

Supposed to smack of elitisim

can't see much wrong with Senior, Senior Nurse as opposed to Junior Nurse, etc.

To me Senior implies a higher rank, not necessarily age related, but I suppose each to their own!

PS Nonu, elitism, or meritocracy?

Can't you get depressed and claim ESA as all the people I see do?

Geriatric, NEVER, it's a horrible sounding word !

Oh Galen it's something I've never thought of, but I'm sure as hell depressed at the moment. Vicious circle, depressed because I haven't got a job, feel like a reject, makes it so much harder to present a positive image, even to actually do decent applications, not that there's much to apply for at present!

I've now reached the stage that when I actually get an interview I try to get the age thing out of the way asap. "I have more life experience with dealing with people from all walks of life, and I'm highly unlikely to need to take maternity leave"

But they still see me as (at best) a lady in late middle age who would rather be out and about than doing the hoovering.

I HAVE A MORTGAGE AND NO PENSION, PLUS I'M NOT BRAIN DEAD YET

As soon as I reached 50 I started to get catalogues through the post for stair lifts, comfy shoes and large knickers. I am 65 now and still do not require any of the above.

NancyDrew, not just an eldelry primagravida at 27 but got a whole week in hospital afterwards to recover because of my senility!!

Mind you when I had a second child at 29, I got none of that elderly mother malarkey, in and out in under 12 hours, it was meant to be six, but the bed wasn't needed immediately.

When I ran a half marathon years ago, over 35s were called veterans. I felt insulted, but I suppose all the terms mentioned on here would upset someone.