Use of the Term “Elderly”
Dale Avers DPT, PhD
Marybeth Brown PT, PhD, FAPTA
Kevin K. Chui PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, GCS
Michelle Lusardi PT, DPT, PhD
Rita A. Wong PT, PhD

$3.95 		Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy
December 2011 
Volume 34  Number 4
Pages 153 - 154
 
  PDF Version Available!

ABSTRACT
The terms senile, demented, and aged are unfortunate terms once in common use among physical therapy personnel. While these terms have mostly disappeared, there is still a term in common use that needs to disappear, the term elderly.Terms tend to be convenient but suffer stereotyping through their generalization and lack of specificity. Thus, using the term elderly for a person who is robust and independent as well as for a person who is frail and dependent says little about the individual. Since older individuals become more heterogeneous with age, a specific descriptor such as elderly is inaccurate and misleading. For example, asked to describe an 82-year-old woman would provoke little agreement and much discussion based on personal experiences. Eighty-two-year-old women run marathons and 82-year-old women are bed ridden. Which is the accurate description?The term elderly is ageist. Ageist terms are those terms in which a stereotype is promulgated and treatment is delivered differently

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