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Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle. Euphemisms and terms for older people include seniors — chiefly an American usage — or elderly. Some believe there to be prejudice against older people in Western cultures, which is one form of ageism.

Older people have limited regenerative abilities and are more prone to disease, syndromes, and sickness than other adults. For the biology of ageing, see Senescence. The medical study of the aging process is gerontology, and the study of diseases that afflict the elderly is geriatrics.

Contents 1 Definition 2 Appearance 3 Demographic changes 4 Life expectancy 5 See also 6 Individuals who became famous in old age 7 External links

The boundary between middle age and old age cannot be defined exactly because it does not have the same meaning in all societies. In many parts of the world, people are considered old because of certain changes in their activities or social roles. Examples: people may be considered old when they become grandparents, or when they begin to do less or different work — retirement. In North America and Europe, people are often considered old if they have lived a certain number of years.

Many Americans think of 65 as the beginning of old age because United States workers become eligible at this time to retire with full Social Security benefits at age 65. People in the 65-and-over age group are often called senior citizens. In 2003, the age at which an American citizen becomes eligible for full Social Security benefits began to increase gradually until it reaches 67 in 2027.

Old age often causes wrinkles, liver spots, loss of hair/baldness, change of hair color (usually grey or white), impaired speech, hearing, sight, speed, thinking pace, reaction time and agility.

Worldwide, the number of people 65 or older is increasing faster than ever before. Most of this increase is occurring in developed countries. In the United States the percentage of people 65 or older increased from 4 percent in 1900 to about 13 percent in the late 1990s. In 1900, only about 3 million of the nation's citizens had reached 65. By 1998, the number of senior citizens had increased to about 34 million. Population experts estimate that more than 50 million Americans — about 17 percent of the population — will be 65 or older in 2020. The number of old people is growing around the world chiefly because more children reach adulthood.

In most parts of the world, women live, on average, longer than men. In the United States in the late 1990s, life expectancy at birth was 80 years for women and 77 years for men. American women who were age 65 in the late 1990s could expect to live about 19 additional years. Men who were 65 could expect to live about 16 additional years.^{[citation needed]}

• Aging in Place
• Centenarian
• Elderly care
• Oldest people
• Pensioner
• Respect for the Aged Day
• Supercentenarian

• Jeanne Calment, oldest known person ever (122)
• Granny D, political activist who ran for public office at the age of 94
• Sadie and Bessie Delany, civil rights activists
• Ruth Ellis, 101-year-old African-American lesbian activist
• Florence Holway, rape survivor and activist
• Mother Jones, Irish-American labor organizer
• Maggie Kuhn, activist and founder of the Gray Panthers
• Grandma Moses, American folk artist
• Peter Oakley, aka geriatric1927, British senior famous for his YouTube videos
• Clara Peller, Wendy's spokeswoman, famous for her "Where's the Beef?" catch-phrase
• Mary Jane Rathbun, Nurse and activist who was arrested for serving marijuana brownies to AIDS patients
• Malvina Reynolds, folk singer and political activist

• http://www.direct.gov.uk/disability — Directgov disabled people - UK govt information
• International Federation on Ageing — informs and promotes positive change for older people globally

Preceded by Middle age

Stages of human development Old age

Succeeded by Death

v • d • e Human development: biological - psychological
Stages	Infancy • Childhood • Preadolescence • Adolescence • Adulthood - Early adulthood • Middle adulthood • Late adulthood
Development	Child development • Youth development • Ageing & Senescence
Theorists-theories	John Bowlby-attachment • Erik Erikson-psychosocial • Sigmund Freud-psychosexual • Lawrence Kohlberg-moral • Jean Piaget-cognitive • Lev Vygotsky-cultural-historical