Changes

[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Elderly_Asian_gentleman_by_OdinPeterson.jpg|right|frame]]

[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Elderly_Asian_gentleman_by_OdinPeterson.jpg|right|frame]]

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_century 1611]

*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_century 1611]

==Definitions==

==Definitions==

*1a : rather old; especially : being past [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_age middle age]  

*1a : rather old; especially : being past [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_age middle age]  

:b : old-fashioned

:b : old-fashioned

*2: of, relating to, or characteristic of later life or elderly persons  

*2: of, relating to, or characteristic of later life or elderly persons  

==Description==

==Description==

'''Old age''' consists of ages nearing or surpassing the [[average]] life span of [[human beings]], and thus the end of the human life [[cycle]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemism Euphemisms] and terms for old people include seniors (American usage), senior citizens (British and American usage) and the '''elderly'''.

'''Old age''' consists of ages nearing or surpassing the [[average]] life span of [[human beings]], and thus the end of the human life [[cycle]]. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemism Euphemisms] and terms for old people include seniors (American usage), senior citizens (British and American usage) and the '''elderly'''.

Old people have [[limited]] regenerative [[abilities]] and are more prone to [[disease]], syndromes, and sickness than younger adults. For the [[biology]] of ageing, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senescence senescence]. The medical [[study]] of the aging [[process]] is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerontology gerontology], and the study of diseases that afflict the elderly is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geriatrics geriatrics].

Old people have [[limited]] regenerative [[abilities]] and are more prone to [[disease]], syndromes, and sickness than younger adults. For the [[biology]] of ageing, see [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senescence senescence]. The medical [[study]] of the aging [[process]] is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerontology gerontology], and the study of diseases that afflict the elderly is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geriatrics geriatrics].

<center>For lessons on the related [[topic]] of '''''Ageing''''', follow [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Ageing '''''this link'''''].</center>

<center>For lessons on the related [[topic]] of '''''Ageing''''', follow [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Ageing '''''this link'''''].</center>

The boundary between [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_age middle age] and old age cannot be [[defined]] exactly because it does not have the same [[meaning]] in all [[societies]]. People can be [[considered]] old because of certain [[changes]] in their activities or [[social]] roles. Examples: people may be considered old when they become [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandparent grandparents], or when they begin to do less or different work—[[retirement]].

The boundary between [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_age middle age] and old age cannot be [[defined]] exactly because it does not have the same [[meaning]] in all [[societies]]. People can be [[considered]] old because of certain [[changes]] in their activities or [[social]] roles. Examples: people may be considered old when they become [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandparent grandparents], or when they begin to do less or different work—[[retirement]].

German chancellor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck Otto von Bismarck] created the world's first comprehensive [[government]] social [[safety net]] in the 1880s, providing for old age pensions and setting 60 as the age of [[retirement]]. The fixed retirement age of 70 was the first attempt at defining the start of old age. In the United States of America, and the United Kingdom, the age of 65 was [[traditionally]] considered the beginning of the senior years because, until recently, United States and British people became eligible to retire at this age with full [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_(United_States) Social Security] benefits. In 2003, the age at which a US [[citizen]] became eligible for full Social Security benefits began to increase [[gradually]], and will continue to do so until it reaches 67 in 2027. As of 2011, the age is 50. The original raison d'etre behind old age pensions was to prevent [[poverty]] and elderly persons from being reduced to [[beggary]], which is still common in some underdeveloped countries, but growing life expectancies and elder [[populations]] has brought into question the model under which pension systems were originally [[designed]].

German chancellor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck Otto von Bismarck] created the world's first comprehensive [[government]] social [[safety net]] in the 1880s, providing for old age pensions and setting 60 as the age of [[retirement]]. The fixed retirement age of 70 was the first attempt at defining the start of old age. In the United States of America, and the United Kingdom, the age of 65 was [[traditionally]] considered the beginning of the senior years because, until recently, United States and British people became eligible to retire at this age with full [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_(United_States) Social Security] benefits. In 2003, the age at which a US [[citizen]] became eligible for full Social Security benefits began to increase [[gradually]], and will continue to do so until it reaches 67 in 2027. As of 2011, the age is 50. The original raison d'etre behind old age pensions was to prevent [[poverty]] and elderly persons from being reduced to [[beggary]], which is still common in some underdeveloped countries, but growing life expectancies and elder [[populations]] has brought into question the model under which pension systems were originally [[designed]].

[[Category: Sociology]]

[[Category: Sociology]]