When is a person officially deemed “elderly?” The question came back up again on Thursday, after reporter Janice Golding was doing a stand-up at the scene of a fatal accident on CTV’s Toronto noon news.
 
Twice during her piece, Golding referred to the 73-year-old victim as “elderly.” Now in case you think this is another example of modern day political correctness gone mad, you should know that this discussion has been going on for years, even in the pre-social media days. The phones in the TV newsroom where I worked used to ring off the hook if someone called a person of a certain age “elderly.” And the bar for that apparently dreaded word kept moving.
 
“I’m only 69,”I remember one caller ranting in my ear. “And I don’t consider myself ‘elderly!’ Yet that woman on TV called a 70-year-old man that and I think you should apologize!” There were more just like him who phoned in that day, and it was a gripe we would hear for years, especially when the reporter uttering the apparently taboo word was fairly young.
 
So what’s the age threshold for terming someone “elderly,” especially when so many believe that 70 is the new 50? Is it OK at 75? 80? Surely someone at age 90 wouldn’t object. But there are a lot of sensitive ears out there and in this day and age, it seems everybody is just waiting for a reason to be offended.
 
My advice has always been to avoid the word altogether. But it appears some reporters just can’t follow that rule. Even if they’re “senior” correspondents.