Thursday, April 12, 2012

PC Terms for Aging


Photo by gb_packards
Because I spent 30 years in the field of composition and rhetoric before starting a graduate degree in gerontology, I am hyper-aware of the terms people use to describe older adults. 

For several weeks during the fall of 2010, I recorded all the terms that crossed my path in conversation, paper, and hypertext. The good, the bad and the ugly are listed below. 

Generally, the preferred term is older adult. 

Terms that connote station and vitality such as "elder statesman" and "mature" are strongly preferred over terms that connote weakness and emotional instability such as "elderly" or "dotage."

Again: In order to analyze how people are using language, my list is DESCRIPTIVE rather than PRESCRIPTIVE. Many of these terms are either dated or offensive.

Advanced
Advanced  years
Aged
Aging
Biddy
Codger
Crone
Curmudgeon
Declining
Dotage
Doyenne
Duffer
Elder
Elderly
Elder statesman
Frail
Geezer
Geriatric
Golden ager
Golden years
Grandmother/-ma
Grandfather/-pa
Graying
Gray-haired
Hoary
In a decline
Mature
Maturing
Octogenarian
Old / Old people
Old Fart
Older / Older adult
Old fogey
Old lady / man
Older generation
Patriarch/matriarch
Retired/retiree
Retirement age(d)
Sage
Senescence / senescent
Senior
Senior citizen
Top generation
Vulnerable population
Venerable
Veteran
Winter of life
Wise / wizened


I invite you to ask yourself some of the same questions I asked about these terms: 

Q1:  Who uses terms to describe people who are 65+?  More specifically, who uses these terms frequently and/or professionally?

Q2: In what venues are these terms used? In other words, where are these terms spoken and written—especially with high frequency?

Q3: What terms are pejorative? Which are neutral? Which are preferred by various professional groups?

Q4: Are some terms becoming dated? In other words, are they more frequent in texts produced in earlier decades?

Q5: What terms do people over 65 prefer others use to describe them as individuals or in groups?


Of course, sometimes older adults use pejorative terms to describe themselves, but that's their prerogative! 

For example, I was standing in line getting my vanity plate (that has "crone" in it), and the man next to me was picking up his, which had "geezer" in it.  We had a good laugh.  You have to be an insider to poke fun of someone regarding their demographics.  

So take some care when using language about older adults so that you can communicate respect, dignity and admiration for those who occupy the generation above us. 


2 comments:

  1. Other names and descriptions that are common in nursing homes are Honey, Sweetheart,Sweetie Pie, Angel, Lovey. Also the frequent use of first names without permission to use, or proper introductions. All of these can be offensive to older adults.

    Nancy McCulloch Williams

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  2. Nancy: That's a good point that I should have slipped in! I will probably write another post on "elderspeak," (which has annoying similarities to "baby talk,")which might be a good place to bring up this point of using overly familiar terms with older adults. The "grandpa" and "grandma" terms on this post's list gestures towards that problem.

    I haven't considered that sometimes people fail to make proper introductions. I'll stay vigilant on that matter. Thanks!

    Also, I used to speak really loudly and slowly with older adults until I met a 97 year old who quickly let me know that her hearing and cognition were fine. She was really firm with me, letting me know that she would not allow me to patronize her thus. Now I assume full hearing and cognition when I first start speaking with an older adult, but adjust when I get feedback that I need to.

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