While talking to customers about our homecare services, we found that different people refer to each age group differently. As a result, we’ve decided to research some of the definitions to set a unified terminology. We’ve used Dictionaries, Wikipedia and other online resources to make the following definitions:
Baby boomers –Defined (by the US Census) as a person that was born during the Post-World War II area and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964 (which will make them between the ages of 47 to 65). As the first wave of Baby Boomers entering retirement, there are concerns about the possible impact on both the economy (changing workforce) and an expected increase in the demand for healthcare services.
Elderly – Although it is hard to define when someone is considered an elder, it is usually referred to someone who has reached the retirement eligibility age. In the US it is the age of 67 while the eligible retirement age in the UK is still 65.
Seniors – There is no clear definition (in terms of setting an age) of when someone is considered a senior. AARP refers to a person as a senior as someone over 50 while other correlate the definition with the retirement eligibility age (the same definition as Elderly). Most will prefer to address someone as Senior, instead of elder, as a form of respect or out of politeness.
These definitions are based on somewhat “dry” numbers which are often being used to distinguish a certain age group for governance purposes (e.g. retirement, benefits, and social rights). However, in today’s society, people acknowledge that age does not define who they are and what they should do; it is what they actually do that defines them, and as Mark Twain once said: “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Appendix – Although not related to the above categories definition, we struggled to find if we should refer to our in-home care services as Home Care or Homecare. Some companies provide “Homecare Services” while others use “Home Care Services”. Some, in an attempt to solve this conundrum, state they provide “Home Health Care Services” (where the difference between Health Care and Healthcare is clear). In the end, we have decided to
check how the main online authorities address this. We did find out that Wikipedia has only a “Home Care” article while Google does not really differentiate as it presents the same top results for both variations. If you browse through our website, you will find what our decision was and which way we decided to go…
