Old age comprises "the later part of life; the period of life after youth and middle age . . . , usually with reference to deterioration".[7] At what age old age begins cannot be universally defined because it differs according to the context. The United Nations has agreed that 60+ years may be usually denoted as old age[8] and this is the first attempt at an international definition of old age. However, for its study of old age in Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) set 50 as the beginning of old age. At the same time, the WHO recognized that the developing world often defines old age, not by years, but by new roles, loss of previous roles, or inability to make active contribution to society.Most developed Western countries set the age of 60 to 65 for retirement. Being 60–65 years old is usually a requirement for becoming eligible for senior social programs.[10] However, various countries and societies consider the onset of old age as anywhere from the mid-40s to the 70s.[11] The definitions of old age continues to change especially as life expectancy in developed countries has risen to beyond 80 years old.Gerontologists have recognized the very different conditions that people experience as they grow older within the years defined as old age. In developed countries, most people in their 60s and early 70s are still fit, active, and able to care for themselves.[16] However, after 75, they will become increasingly frail, a condition marked by serious mental and physical debilitation.Therefore, rather than lumping together all people who have been defined as old, some gerontologists have recognized the diversity of old age by defining sub-groups. One study distinguishes the young old (60 to 69), the middle old (70 to 79), and the very old (80+).[18] Another study’s sub-grouping is young-old (65 to 74), middle-old (75–84), and oldest-old (85+).[19] A third sub-grouping is “young old” (65-74), “old” (74-84), and "old-old" (85+).[20] Delineating sub-groups in the 65+ population enables a more accurate portrayal of significant life changes.Two British scholars, Paul Higgs and Chris Gilleard, have added a “fourth age” sub-group. In British English, the “third age” is “the period in life of active retirement, following middle age”.[22] Higgs and Gilleard describe the fourth age as “an arena of inactive, unhealthy, unproductive, and ultimately unsuccessful ageing.Many books by middle-age writers depict their perceptions of old people.[88] One writer notices the change in his parents: they move slowly, they have lost strength, they repeat stories, their minds wander, and they fret.[89] Another writer sees her aged parents and is bewildered: they refuse to follow her advice, they are obsessed with the past, they avoid risk, they live at a “glacial pace.Other writers treat the perceptions of middle-age people regarding their own old age. In her The Denial of Aging, Dr. Muriel R. Gillick, a baby boomer, accuses her contemporaries of believing that by proper exercise and diet they can avoid the scourges of old age and proceed from middle age to death.[91] Studies find that many people in the 55-75 range can postpone morbidity by practicing healthy life styles. These discourses take part in a general idea of successful ageing. However, at about age 80, all people experience similar morbidity.[92] Even with healthy life styles, most 85+ people will undergo extended “frailty and disability.
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