When do you think you’ll be old?

And...does it even matter?

I find the study of aging fascinating, and I don’t mean the search for how to look younger. As Certified Senior Advisors (CSAs), we study aging from many angles: cognitive, emotional, economic, physical, philosophical, and social. It’s a complex, deeply human topic. And understanding its many dimensions helps us better support the real lives, concerns, and aspirations of older adults.

So, when do you think you’ll be old?

Well, it depends on how you define aging. There’s chronological age, functional age, and subjective age. Each offering a different lens.

Chronological Age is simply how many years you’ve been alive. But while easy to calculate, it doesn’t tell us much about a person’s capabilities or lived experience. Some gerontologists still use it as a general marker, distinguishing the “young-old” (65–74), the “old-old” (75–84), and the “oldest old” (85+), but these categories can be quite limiting.

Functional Age considers what people can do, how they function in daily life. For example, can they dress themselves, prepare meals, manage medications? These kinds of tasks are referred to as Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Focusing on functional age instead of just the calendar allows for a more individualized, respectful understanding of someone’s strengths and support needs.

Subjective Age perhaps the most intriguing is how old a person feels. This self-perception varies widely and often shifts over time. During my CSA training, I learned that people’s ideas of “old” often depend on their current age. A Pew Research Center survey (Taylor et al., 2009) of nearly 3,000 adults found that:

• Adults aged 18–29 believed “old age” began around 60

• Adults aged 30–64 placed it closer to 70

• Even adults 65 and older didn’t consider someone “old” until around age 74

In fact, the evidence clearly shows that as people grow older, they tend to feel increasingly younger than their actual age. That perceived youth gap widens over time.

I interpret this as very good news; the older we get, the younger we feel relative to our chronological age. We see this playing out all the time: people going back to school to earn degrees in their 90s, marrying their true love later in life, running marathons at 88 (on the original! marathon course) or continuing to offer therapy and guidance at 100.

So, once again: when do you think you’ll be old? And more importantly, how does your definition shape the way you live?

At Silver Path, we believe aging isn’t a problem to solve. It’s a journey to understand. Whether you’re facing it yourself or walking alongside a loved one, your definition of aging matters. It affects how you plan, how you connect, and how you care.

We’d love to hear your perspective. Leave a comment or reach out if you’d like help navigating aging with insight and purpose.