How old is “old”?

I know 45 yr olds I think of as old and 65 yr olds I don’t think of as old.

IMO, age is more about how you act, look, and dress.

my dad at 89 was skiing down the expert slopes at 40 mph.. he had friends who were older doing the same.

I would go with 80 and older being old. but as they say.. some are old when in their 60's, some are not. I'm 68 and still ski, backpack and go hiking.. and I'm not alone in my age bracket.

no one can predict sudden health issues..

I’m 73. So, given that, ha, my answer is that the 80s are getting old.

The older that I get, and the older that my parents get, the older that "old" gets!

I also think it has to do with the individual. My grandparents were "old" and somewhat frail at 70. My mum is 76 and still working full time, and still very active. My dad is 81 and still very active and not at all frail. I would not call either of them old. Therefore I chose 85+ in the poll.

Around 80, you can no longer deny that you're old. Not just for the club, but for the earth.

That doesn't mean you act or feel old, but you are actually old at that point. I think plenty of people are still vibrant and active through their 70s but "most" people will slow down in their 80s, if they make it that far.

It's ok to be old, it's not an insult to call an 80 year old "old". But let's not fool ourselves. And no, I don't think an 80+ year old woman should be trekking around Africa (she was on a cruise doing a shore excursion) by herself.

She's lucky she found the American couple who also missed the ship to help her because she didn't really have her bearings and was all alone with stroke symptoms. Sure, that could happen to a 35 year old woman, but the chances of having a medical episode of confusion are exponentially higher if you're 80 than if you're 30s to 60s. Hell, a common UTI can send them to the hospital with no damn clue about where they are or what's going on or how to work the phone and where is their daughter and they'll sue us for keeping them in jail (Beverly, you mean the hospital, dear and you came here, not vice versa but OK call that attorney I'm sure you've got on retainer).

At least travel with a friend or in a group at that age.

Serious answer: In the US, anyone old enough for SS benefits is old.

Most social agencies consider 60 and above to be elderly.

In a general sense, I think of someone being old as being 75+. Saying that, I've known many healthy, active people in that age group that didn't act old at all and lots of people in their 40s and 50s that act extremely old.

I’m 72 and agree!

The older I get, the further that number becomes.

My Mom, who lived to 89, used to say "In my mind, I still feel young, but then I get up in the morning and look in the mirror and think - who is that wrinkled old woman?"

My Mom's been gone for almost 24 years, and that wrinkled old woman now lives in my mirror but I tell her to buzz off every day.

At 77, yes, I feel a lot older, but I still don't feel OLD. I voted 80+ because I know it's coming.

I'll own that vote and I explained my reasoning in my post but I'm almost 54

I voted 60 was old. I based it on agencies or services that say services for Elderly begin at 55 or 60.

I am 78.

You're redefining it. Old means having lived a long time. That's it. What you're describing is someone failing to evolve. I could argue that those who are dying their hair to cover up gray are failing to evolve. This is the whole problem I'm talking about. People are taking an objective measure and making it mean something about themselves based on their own personal biases. It seems very fear-based to me. Not to mention that many people use it to judge others.

I said 85+.

To me "old" is when you need assistance, can no longer drive safely, begin to loose balance, have trouble getting around, begin to loose bodily function, etc.

Your body is slowing down and things that were easy, no longer are.

My grandma passed at 99, she was almost 100. Until 95 you would have thought she was 70.