It had to happen sometime – political correctness is slowly entering every facet of our lives. Recently, it entered the field of the elderly.
Scratch that – according to a joint effort by The International Longevity Center and Aging Services of California, the term Elderly is one they’d like to see phased out.
Use this word carefully and sparingly. The term is appropriate only in generic phrases that do not refer to specific individuals, such as concern for the elderly, a home for the elderly, etc. In other words, describing a person as elderly is bad form, although the generalized category “elderly†might not be offensive. (Suggested substitutions include “older adult” or simply “man” or “woman” with the age inserted, if relevant.)
Gone are the days where young whippersnappers could feel safe uttering words like “biddy,” “codger,” “coot,” “crone,” “fogy,” “fossil,” “geezer,” “old goat,” “prune,” and “vegetable.” The study even reports that using the word “home,” when in reference to “an old age home,” is a risky venture. While the facility may in fact be their long term domicile, and home, it’s still harkens back to “the old age home,” which is condescending.
“Senior Citizen” and “Grandmotherly” are also out. I always thought grandmotherly sounded nice. And I can’t help but wonder if this means we’ll be seeing changes in the verbiage of “senior citizen’s discounts” and that sort of thing.
Well, only time will tell if this actually sticks. Just don’t be caught being ageist, and don’t say we didn’t warn you!
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