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Introduction

It’s not unusual to read or hear stories in the media about ‘the ageing population’. These reports usually refer to older people in terms of the economic costs associated with a growing number of older people in the population.

The stories tend to refer to older people as if they consist of one homogenous (A homogenous group is made up of people who are same or similar to one another.) group who all have the same characteristics. But is it really so straightforward, and who exactly belongs to this group? What do we mean by ‘old’ and ‘old age’?

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What ‘old age’ means

Now you are going to explore what ‘old’ means. It’s more complex than many newspaper stories lead us to believe. Think about the things in the list below, and which you identify with being old.

Consider the statistical information for each item. Decide if you are still going to maintain your answers.

When you are finished, click on ‘Next’.

Being over 60 years of age
1 in 5 of people in the UK are over 60. But can we use ‘old’ or ‘elderly’ to describe such a diverse section of the population whose ages extend over three decades or more? This is a truly heterogeneous (made up of people who different from one another) population who may have little in common. It’s a bit like lumping together all those between 30 and 60 years. The label ‘old’ applied to the over-sixties obscures great differences in physical and mental function, as well as life experience.
Qualifying for the state retirement pension
It’s true that at present chronological age may entitle you to a state retirement pension (the ‘old age’ pension) at 60 or 65. On this measure 11.6 million people in the UK are ‘old’. But rather than a true measure of old age, this is simply based on government policy, as can be seen from the recent revision of the age of entitlement so that people will qualify for the pension later.
Having retired from paid employment
More than a million people currently work beyond the state retirement age, many well into their seventies. Increasingly, in the past couple of decades, individuals have retired in their fifties. People over 60 are the group most active in voluntary work.
Memory loss or dementia
Older age can bring changes in memory and it’s true that dementia is associated with advanced age, but these changes are not exclusive to later life. Only 5% of the over 65s and 1 in 4 of those over 85 have dementia.
Being dependent on others
Most older people live independently. Only 5% of people over 65 live in a care home. 35% of those over 60 live alone and 55% live with a spouse. In 2002 only 3% of men and women aged 75 and over were living with others.
Wisdom derived from life experience
Greater life experience may bring wisdom but there is no direct link with advancing age. As society’s values and technology change, it becomes more of a challenge for older people to achieve the wisdom and transcendence which can give later life a special meaning.

Ref: Office for National Statistics (2006)

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What ‘old age’ means

There were no correct or incorrect responses. Age has significance for us all - hence the importance of birthdays. But because of wide variations between older individuals, ‘old’ and ‘old age’ are states which are difficult to pin down.

Chronological age is often at odds with our perception of our age. Many older people report that their ‘felt’ age is younger than their actual age. Old age is also culturally determined to some extent: some older people from black and minority ethnic groups define themselves as old at an earlier stage than is common in the mainstream population.

Arguably they are not ‘facts’ but social constructions (Social construction refers to a two-fold process which centres on meaning. On the one hand, the way indviduals construct meanings from their lives, through their subjective interpretations of events; and, on the other, how these interpretations are shaped by society‘s culture, institutions and values. For example, individuals place their subjective interpretation on ‘old age’ and what they think it means to be ‘old’, and these meanings influence their experience of ageing. But the meanings embedded in their society - for example, that ‘old age’ means dependency - will influence the interpretations of these same individuals. other social constructions are ‘retirement’ and ‘successful ageing’. Meanings are also subject to change over time.) and they are conveyed symbolically through language.

You should therefore be sceptical about definitive statements about what ‘old’ is; you might prefer the relative, if imprecise, term ‘older’ (we are all older than some people and younger than others).

Some studies suggest that older people relate to age in two significant ways. The first is comparative, ‘How do I compare with other people my age?’ is the key question. The second involves making a distinction between our own age and that of others who are in some way ‘really old’. When people relate themselves to ‘old age’ they tend to talk about the following:

  • ‘real old age’ and being ‘really old’
  • being older or the same age as others
  • their parents
  • comparisons regarding health and disability, appearance and attitude
  • the situation of those who ‘really’ need help
  • those in institutional care

Bytheway (1994)