When exactly does “old age” begin? The answer has shifted over time. In 1800, most people didn’t make it past 30. By 1900, 40 was considered a decent run. Fast-forward another century and reaching 70 is hardly unusual. Today, thanks to modern medicine and healthier lifestyles, lifespans continue to rise, which begs the question: What truly counts as “old” today?
Popular culture is rife with reminders that age is an attitude. “That’s true, but it’s true of any stage of your life because, quite frankly, the minute we’re born, we start aging,” says Michele McGregor, owner of Caring Transitions Desert Cities and a Certified Relocation & Transition Specialist. In her work, she often sees how people let society’s ideas about aging define what their chronological age “should” mean.
McGregor says many people carry the belief that life ends the moment they hit a certain number. She explains that old age is a multifaceted concept shaped not just by years lived, but also by health, social, and cultural factors, as well as personal experience. “Aging is really just another stage of living,” she says.
The stakes around how old age is defined are higher than most realize. In 2021, the World Health Organization even debated whether to designate “old age” as a disease, reasoning that such a move could pave the way for new drug development.
The proposal drew sharp criticism, with many in the medical and geriatric communities calling it a pointed example of ageism. Critics stressed that functional ability depends less on the number of birthday candles on a cake and more on an individual’s health and circumstances. As McGregor puts it, “You could be 20 years old and suffer a bad sports injury or be in a car accident, and your whole life could change overnight.”
Kourosh Moshiri, M.D., a geriatric medicine specialist at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, echoes that perspective. He emphasizes that biological age — not chronological age — should guide care. “Old age isn’t a number. It’s physiology and cognitive awareness and function,” he says. “Two people the same age can have radically different reserves. That’s why we treat physiological age, not birthdays.”
Moshiri says one of the biggest misconceptions about aging is that it automatically equals decline. In reality, decline is far from uniform. Many changes are natural and manageable, he says. “Staying physically, socially, and cognitively active preserves function.”
He is adamant that people shouldn’t let stigma around assistive devices such as hearing aids, canes, or fall-alert systems keep them from using tools that can protect function and support independence. Far from signs of weakness, these devices help people maintain independence and quality of life.
McGregor agrees, emphasizing the role self-perception plays in aging well. “How you perceive yourself is really a key to how you embrace your chronological age,” she says. Rather than giving in to stereotypes, she encourages people to recognize how much control they have over the way they experience later life.
As the old saying goes, you’re only as young as you feel. Or, as McGregor reflects, “Often people just need to get out of their own way, which, quite honestly, is true at any age.”
When Does “Old Age” Begin?
Old age is largely a matter of perspective, an arbitrary number subject to change as the global population grows older. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2034, adults over 65 will outnumber children under age 18 for the first time in U.S. history. According to the 2025 Ipsos “Attitudes on Ageing” survey, this is when different groups consider someone “old”:
United States: 67
Canada: 66
Mexico: 62
Italy and Spain: 73
Gen Z: 61
Millennial: 65
Gen X: 68
Baby Boomer: 72
Low Income: 65
High Income: 66
