The names we use for people over 50

Whatever you do, don't say 'elderly.' The preferred word choice in a new survey: 'older.'

from the August 8, 2007 edition

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Even joking references to a "senior moment" can subtly suggest that the simple forgetfulness that can happen to anyone at any stage of life is somehow tied to aging.

And don't forget other stereotyping language that includes words such as geezers and oldsters.

Part of the challenge for everyone in choosing the right words involves the huge age span in America's graying population. It begins around 50 – the qualifying age to join AARP – and stretches to 100 or more. One marketing group in New York divides consumers into two groups – baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, and matures, born before 1946.

Yet some journalists in the survey criticized "mature" as one of those words so deliberately, self-consciously "correct" – striving for linguistic neutrality – that they can seem silly.

The search for better words goes on.

At AARP The Magazine, staff members favor a more playful approach to language. "We use the word grown-ups a lot," says editor Steven Slon. A feature called "Movies for Grownups" already exists, and editors are considering "Music for Grownups."

Mr. Slon thinks boomers may adopt words such as geezer with a measure of irony – "as long as you get the joke."

He also notes that the British tend to have "a zanier sense of humor," using words such as "wrinklies." But an official in the Department of Health in Britain has attacked the "demeaning and negative slang" that feeds a culture of ageism. As one example, he wants to ban doctors from referring to older patients as "crinklies" and "bed blockers."

So sensitive are some boomers about the images words convey that they don't even want to be called Grandma and Grandpa. They prefer something cooler and hipper, befitting their own more youthful status. Some are opting for Nana, Poppy, even Nina.

Sales clerks and waiters can also sound patronizing when they refer to older customers, usually women, as "dear."

Words matter. Whatever the choice of language, conveying a sense of dignity – which is sometimes hard for people to come by in their later years – represents a worthy goal.

As Slon says, offering a good reminder not only to journalists but to everyone, those who are older "don't want to be marginalized and put off in a category of people who simply get discounts but are not to be taken seriously."

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