When do Baby Boomers become know as elderly? Terms like older persons, older people, older adults, older patients, older individuals, persons 65 years and older, or the older population are ways to refer to the elderly, as well as seniors and the aged.
The term ‘elderly’ often carries more than just a numerical age; it encapsulates a significant stage in life characterized by both challenges and achievements. Understanding who falls under this category, and the diversity within this group, is crucial as societies worldwide adapt to an increasingly Aging population. Internationally, organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) typically define ‘elderly’ as anyone aged 65 and over. However, this age threshold can vary significantly from one country to another, influenced by social, economic, and health factors.
As we grow older, we want to embrace and integrate the elderly into all facets of life, because today the elderly are our parents and tomorrow the elderly will be us.
Send us Fan MailIn this thought-provoking episode of You Still Have Time, hosts Hope and Harold take a closer look at the labels society uses for older adults and ask a simple but important question: Who are you calling elderly?Drawing on personal experiences, research, and a healthy dose of humor, …
Send us Fan MailIn this thought-provoking episode of You Still Have Time, hosts Hope and Harold take a closer look at the labels society uses for older adults and ask a simple but important question: …
Send us Fan MailIn this thought-provoking episode of You Still Have Time, hosts Hope and Harold take a closer look at the labels society uses for older adults and ask a simple but important question: Who are you calling elderly?Drawing on personal experiences, research, and a healthy dose of humor, they explore how terms like elderly, senior citizen, older adult, and even geezer shape the way people see themselves and are perceived by others. The conversation examines age stereotypes, the impact of language on confidence and behavior, and why many people reject labels that suggest frailty or d…
Photo by Aysegul Aytören on UnsplashThe EndGame is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Odds are, you have heard someone toss off the remark, “You can never be too rich or too thin,” as if it were true. Some people…
Photo by Aysegul Aytören on UnsplashThe EndGame is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Odds are, you have heard someo…
Photo by Aysegul Aytören on UnsplashThe EndGame is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Odds are, you have heard someone toss off the remark, “You can never be too rich or too thin,” as if it were true. Some people must believe it’s true, to judge from the images of impossibly trim young darlings bombarding us from movies, television, telephones, and Instagram sites. As a former beauty editor observes, “Some of our most visible celebrities have gone from merely thin to gravely gaunt.”In fact, I would ar…
Prioritizing Safety
As Baby Boomers navigate the complexities of aging, safety becomes a paramount concern. Safety for older adults isn’t a single idea — it’s a cluster of needs that all point toward one core desire: stay independent, healthy, and in control of one’s life for as long as po…
Prioritizing Safety
As Baby Boomers navigate the complexities of aging, safety becomes a paramount concern. Safety for older adults isn’t a single idea — it’s a cluster of needs that all point …
Prioritizing Safety
As Baby Boomers navigate the complexities of aging, safety becomes a paramount concern. Safety for older adults isn’t a single idea — it’s a cluster of needs that all point toward one core desire: stay independent, healthy, and in control of one’s life for as long as possible. Safety means maintaining independence while minimizing preventable risks — especially falls, medication errors, scams, and environmental hazards. Our experts in this area of the site explore the complexities of staying safe as we are aging.
Safety risks are all around us. One in four ad…
The discharge papers come home in a thick envelope. Pages on medication schedules, follow-up appointments, warning signs to watch for, numbers to call. The hospital walks her to the front door. A nurse helps her inside. The door closes.
And then nothing.
That’s the part the discharge instructions …
The discharge papers come home in a thick envelope. Pages on medication schedules, follow-up appointments, warning signs to watch for, numbers to call. The hospital walks her to the front door. A nurs…
The discharge papers come home in a thick envelope. Pages on medication schedules, follow-up appointments, warning signs to watch for, numbers to call. The hospital walks her to the front door. A nurse helps her inside. The door closes.
And then nothing.
That’s the part the discharge instructions don’t really cover — the long quiet after, when an elderly parent is home from the hospital and living alone again, and the people who were watching closely for five days are not watching anymore. The crisis is technically over. The worry, somehow, is just beginning.
What actually changes when t…
All Home Care Matters and our host, Lance A. Slatton were honored to welcome Ilihia Gionson as guest to the show. About Ilihia Gionson, 2021 Dole Caregiver Fellow, Hawaii: In Hawaiʻi, caring for the elderly is part of the native culture. So when it was time for Ilihia to care for his father Ant…
All Home Care Matters and our host, Lance A. Slatton were honored to welcome Ilihia Gionson as guest to the show. About Ilihia Gionson, 2021 Dole Caregiver Fellow, Hawaii: In Hawaiʻi, caring for …
All Home Care Matters and our host, Lance A. Slatton were honored to welcome Ilihia Gionson as guest to the show. About Ilihia Gionson, 2021 Dole Caregiver Fellow, Hawaii: In Hawaiʻi, caring for the elderly is part of the native culture. So when it was time for Ilihia to care for his father Anthony, he naturally stepped into the caregiver role. Anthony was born in Hawaiʻi in 1947 and served in Vietnam in 1966 when he was 19. His time in Vietnam, with a climate and people who reminded him of home, was one of a series of transformational moments for him. Hawaiʻi had only recently become…
There’s a particular kind of internet search that happens late in the evening, usually after a phone call that didn’t go the way it was supposed to. A browser tab opens. A query goes in. And within fifteen minutes, there are eight tabs open, each promising a different version of the same thing �…
There’s a particular kind of internet search that happens late in the evening, usually after a phone call that didn’t go the way it was supposed to. A browser tab opens. A query goes in. And withi…
There’s a particular kind of internet search that happens late in the evening, usually after a phone call that didn’t go the way it was supposed to. A browser tab opens. A query goes in. And within fifteen minutes, there are eight tabs open, each promising a different version of the same thing — a way to know that an elderly parent living alone is okay.
This is usually how the search for technology for elderly parents living alone begins. Not from a place of crisis. Just from a quiet build-up of moments — a missed call, a parent who sounded a little different on the phone, a story from…
Most people do not think much about getting dressed until it becomes difficult.
For many older adults, dressing grows harder gradually. A parent may take longer to button a shirt, struggle to pull on pants, avoid certain outfits, or ask for help with something they used to do independently. For care…
Most people do not think much about getting dressed until it becomes difficult.
For many older adults, dressing grows harder gradually. A parent may take longer to button a shirt, struggle to pull on …
Most people do not think much about getting dressed until it becomes difficult.
For many older adults, dressing grows harder gradually. A parent may take longer to button a shirt, struggle to pull on pants, avoid certain outfits, or ask for help with something they used to do independently. For caregivers, these changes can quietly become one of the most stressful parts of the day.
Helping an elderly parent get dressed is about more than clothing. It involves mobility, pain, balance, energy, privacy, and dignity. When the process becomes harder, the goal is not just to get clothes on. It is to…
Estate planning—just the phrase sounds like something you can always “get around to later.” We tend to associate it with the elderly, the wealthy, or people who have everything perfectly organized. But estate planning isn’t about death—it’s about life. It’s about protecting your family…
Estate planning—just the phrase sounds like something you can always “get around to later.” We tend to associate it with the elderly, the wealthy, or people who have everything perfectly organiz…
Estate planning—just the phrase sounds like something you can always “get around to later.” We tend to associate it with the elderly, the wealthy, or people who have everything perfectly organized. But estate planning isn’t about death—it’s about life. It’s about protecting your family, your assets, and your peace of mind long before the unexpected happens.
When I realized I hadn’t done my estate planning until it was too late, the wave of regret was almost unbearable. I thought I had time. Don’t we all? I realized that life doesn’t wait for you to get your paperwork in …
You’ve booked the holiday. Maybe it took months to organize. Maybe it’s the first real break you’ve had in a couple of years. And somewhere in the back of your mind, quietly but persistently, a thought keeps surfacing: who’s going to keep an eye on Mum while I’m away?
This isn’t the same…
You’ve booked the holiday. Maybe it took months to organize. Maybe it’s the first real break you’ve had in a couple of years. And somewhere in the back of your mind, quietly but persistently, a …
You’ve booked the holiday. Maybe it took months to organize. Maybe it’s the first real break you’ve had in a couple of years. And somewhere in the back of your mind, quietly but persistently, a thought keeps surfacing: who’s going to keep an eye on Mum while I’m away?
This isn’t the same worry as the day-to-day background hum of having a parent who lives alone. That worry you’ve learned to carry. This one is different, because there’s a specific absence. A specific window of days when the usual routines — the weekly call, the occasional visit, the habit of texting to say good…
Harold Todman
June 1, 2026
Don Akchin 
Adam Lack 
Lance A. Slatton CSCM 
Ben Graham 
David B. 
Kevin Jameson