old age
noun /ˌəʊld ˈeɪdʒ/
/ˌəʊld ˈeɪdʒ/
[uncountable, singular]- the time of your life when you are old
- Old age can bring many problems.
- She can look forward to a happy old age.
- in your old age He lived alone in his old age.
Collocations The ages of lifeThe ages of lifeChildhood/youth- be born and raised/bred in Oxford; into a wealthy/middle-class family
- have a happy/an unhappy/a tough childhood
- grow up in a musical family/in an orphanage/on a farm
- be/grow up an only child (= with no brothers or sisters)
- reach/hit/enter/go through adolescence/puberty
- be in your teens/early twenties/mid-twenties/late twenties
- undergo/experience physical/psychological changes
- give in to/succumb to/resist peer pressure
- assert your independence/individuality
- leave school/university/home
- go out to work (at sixteen)
- get/find a job/partner
- be/get engaged/married
- have/get a wife/husband/mortgage/steady job
- settle down and have kids/children/a family
- begin/start/launch/build a career (in politics/science/the music industry)
- prove (to be)/represent/mark/reach a turning point in your life/career
- reach/be well into/settle into middle age
- have/suffer/go through a midlife crisis
- take/consider early retirement
- approach/announce/enjoy your retirement
- have/see/spend time with your grandchildren
- take up/pursue/develop a hobby
- get/receive/draw/collect/live on a pension
- approach/save for/die from old age
- live to a ripe old age
- reach the grand old age of 102/23 (often ironic)
- be/become/be getting/be going senile (often ironic)
- die (peacefully)/pass away in your sleep/after a brief illness
Extra Examples- He took up golf in his old age.
- Loss of hearing often occurs in old age.
- She was now well into old age.
Culture old ageold ageSociety is getting older. In 2018 about 15% of the population of the US was over 65, in 2060 it will be about 24%. The number of people aged 65 and over in the UK is projected to increase from 18% of the population in 2016 to 25% in 2036. With further developments in medicine more and more people can expect to live a long time. This means that senior citizens (NAmE also seniors) (= people over about 65) have become a more powerful group, but it also means that services for them need to improve. As people live longer, the question of how to pay for retirement has become an important social and political issue for governments. Many people need to work for longer. For people who have enough money from their pensions and who are in good health, the years of retirement may be an opportunity to do some of the things they did not have time for when they were working. Some people take courses, some go on more holidays/vacations, others do voluntary work and continue to use the skills they learned for their job. Public transport, theatres, and sometimes restaurants give discounts to retired people. Senior citizens expect to be active, if their health permits. Many elderly people, however, have a more difficult old age. Those who rely on the British state pension or US social security have to spend most of their money on food and heating and have little left for other things. Others have poor health and cannot move around easily. Some are afraid to go out and many are lonely.Older Americans who can afford a comfortable retirement may move to states like Florida and Arizona where the weather is warm all year, the cost of living is lower and there are good facilities for older people. Many choose assisted living in an apartment in a retirement community, where there is somebody close by to provide help if they need it. If they become ill they may need to move into a nursing home where they can get special medical care. Often the patient's husband or wife can live there too. The cost of nursing homes is very high, and while many are excellent, others are not good. A few older people live with their children, but Americans do not usually want to have to depend on their children.In Britain, too, elderly people like to be independent and to live in their own home for as long as possible. Those who find it difficult to look after themselves may have a home help for a few hours each week to help with work around the house, or a carer who comes once or several times a day to help them with washing, dressing, etc. Some may use a meals on wheels service. People who are less able to get about may be taken each day to a day centre run by organizations like Age UK, where they can be with other people. As in the US, some elderly people move into sheltered housing, with a warden available to help if needed. Others go to live with one of their children. Many families, however, do not have room for their elderly relatives or do not want them to live with them. When these people can no longer care for themselves they have to move into a care home.In Britain especially, elderly people get less respect than they do in many other societies. Names such as ‘wrinklies’, ‘old codgers’ or, for women, 'old biddies' are sometimes used to describe them in a cruel way. They used to be referred to as old-age pensioners or OAPs but now the more positive ‘senior citizens’ is commonly used.Topics Life stagesb1Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- advanced
- extreme
- happy
- …
- live to
- reach
- survive into
- …
- pension
- pensioner
- in (your) old age
- into old age
- the grand old age of something
- the ripe old age of something