Ship of Fools: Senior citizen

Thread: Senior citizen Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

To visit this thread, use this URL:
http://forum.ship-of-fools.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=70;t=029002

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

I am not one and how dare you offer me the menu for the toothless old and young! "No", I'll say next time, "I am in better shape than you and let's put up the fists", and if they're chicken to fight the likes of me, I'll race the bastard and win.

[ 08. February 2015, 15:08: Message edited by: no prophet's flag is set so... ]

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

Wow. I rejoiced mightily when they started offering me senior discounts in my fifties on food and movie tickets. It has been one advantage of not coloring my gray hair.

I'm not always into senior menus but they usually come printed within the general menu so I can choose.

This is definitely a "First World problem".

Posted by Dave W. (# 8765) on :

NP - have you checked the front of your hat?

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

I don't think I've ever been offered a different menu on the basis of my age - if it's the same dishes, but cheaper, that's OK. Free travel/ reserved seating/ discounted tickets/ reduced entrance fees - I'm all over it.

You're only old once - make the most of it.

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

You guys are as bad as the peanut gallery I was eating with. All I get since Friday is the rub-in.

Posted by Doublethink. (# 1984) on :

I believe the senior citizen discounts are not offered because you're thought frail - but because you are thought more likely to be retired, and therefore on a fixed income and strapped for cash.

Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on :

You're sure it's not because you were sitting down to dinner at 4:30?

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

So what is on the menu - lots of well-mashed veg, meat cooked to disintegration and things you don't have to chew?

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

No, it'll be Real Food such as we grew up on: 30-minute cabbage, floury soup, luncheon meat and beetroot, boiled parsnips, Bisto gravy. None of this nonsense like salad* on the same plate as hot food.

*= lettuce, tomato and hard-boiled egg with salad cream.

Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :

With Tizer or Dandelion & Burdock to drink ... definitely none of this foreign wine nonsense!

The salad you describe ... I remember it well. It was always served at Sunday tea-time in the Scottish Bible College I attended in 1975-6.

[ 08. February 2015, 18:03: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]

Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :

If old means Dandelion & Burdock then that's fine by me!

I'm 57 and not by any means the youngest looking 57 y.o., but I've not been offered a senior's anything yet, and many of these deals start at age 60. Looks like I'll have to ask for these.

Posted by irish_lord99 (# 16250) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
This is definitely a "First World problem".

Yeah, like my 30 year old friends who complain about getting carded for buying booze: you really gonna bitch because you still look young?

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

Thanks for all the hellpful comments and not volunteering to cut up my meat! And no, I don't wear adult diapers.

Posted by Uncle Pete (# 10422) on :

What's wrong with adult diapers? I wear them all the time in travel status. Most useful.

As for being a senior citizen, I enjoy the fact that my bus pass has dropped to $40.75 from somewhere in the mid hundreds, the bank has given me a pass from all those nit-picky little charges that made life so interesting for my bank account when I was working.

And when I was having my t-shirt (I'm a senior. Do you do discounts?) custom made*, the shop gave me an automatic discount.

Prescription drugs (at least those listed, some are not) are now nearly free. My monthly drug bills have plummeted.

I reserve the right to be insanely jealous over the public transit costs for seniors in Scotland.

*The mass-produced shirts were incredibly rude. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing one.

What's not to like about being old? Other than the reduced appetite that comes with it and make sense of food discounts?

And why is this thread in Hell? The OPer needs to pull up his big boy panties (the non-adult diaper ones) and get on with life.

[ 08. February 2015, 22:31: Message edited by: Uncle Pete ]

Posted by Doc Tor (# 9748) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Uncle Pete:
And why is this thread in Hell?

Presumably so someone can suggest the quietus to all the old folk currently piling up in hospital, hogging all the houses and the capital, and generally ignoring the suffering young.

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Uncle Pete:
What's wrong with adult diapers? I wear them all the time in travel status. Most useful.

So do I. Very handy. You don't have to schlep dirty panties home with you in your luggage -- and there's room for the things you bought while away.

Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Doc Tor:

quote:
Originally posted by Uncle Pete:
And why is this thread in Hell?
Presumably so someone can suggest the quietus to all the old folk currently piling up in hospital, hogging all the houses and the capital, and generally ignoring the suffering young.

They certainly clog up the buses round here. In Wales over-60s get free bus travel and thousands of people get up early, do the day's shopping then ride the buses all bloody day!

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
So what is on the menu - lots of well-mashed veg, meat cooked to disintegration and things you don't have to chew?

I don't think I have ever seen a seniors menu anywhere. Are portions smaller, food old fashioned, food boring, just cheaper or what is your problem? Seems to me that you have taken personal offence just because you are not a senior.

Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on :

Fish. Fish improves the memory.

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lothlorien:
I don't think I have ever seen a seniors menu anywhere.

The one I'm most familiar with is Denny's (click Menu, scroll down to 55+). The portions are smaller and less expensive than the regular menu items and tend to come with fewer extras.

Many fast food restaurants, including Taco Bell, Subway, Jack in the Box, and Einstein Bagels, to name a few, offer a 10% senior discount on their standard menu items (not all branches do, though).

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :

I am in Australia. The closest thing I can think of is the $10 lunch at the RSL club. That however is open to anyone to buy.

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

I don't wear panties. Rather, low rise, bikini, mesh front, manly gotchies with the pee flap. Fire engine red. When I am really a senior I will them on the outside of my clothes.

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :

Are you sure that this denial isn't your own denial that you are ageing?

It is most reminiscent of my father's determined refusal to let me near his sailing club with my baby daughter. I realised one reason* why when I bumped into a friend from the club shopping, who had no idea I had a child. After greeting me and daughter warmly, a thoughtful expression crossed her face, "Oooh, I can call your dad 'grandad'." She waltzed off with a broad grin on her face.

* the other reasons belong on the difficult relatives thread.

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

I got offered a senior's menu (smaller portions) in my early 40s. The waitress had overheard me telling my friends I didn't want a large main course, because I wanted to leave plenty room for pudding.

Yes, my friends (particularly the ones older than me) thought it was funny. And no, when they retold the story, they didn't include the "wanting to leave room for pudding" bit.

Posted by marzipan (# 9442) on :

Just eat the pudding first, NEQ! Then you don't have to worry about leaving room for it

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:

quote:
Originally posted by Lothlorien:
I don't think I have ever seen a seniors menu anywhere.
The one I'm most familiar with is Denny's (click Menu, scroll down to 55+). The portions are smaller and less expensive than the regular menu items and tend to come with fewer extras.

Sounds like a good idea. There's starting to be a bit of a move here towards menus "for lighter appetites", which would suit me fine if that caught on. Usually, though, there's just the children's menu and restaurants don't always let adults order from that - assuming there's anything you'd want on it. There are times when a restaurant-size adult portion can be too much to finish.

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
Are you sure that this denial isn't your own denial that you are ageing?

Of course it is! Shit on my balding head. Second thought I admit nothing.

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Uncle Pete:
What's not to like about being old? Other than the reduced appetite that comes with it ...

Really? I bet A Certain Shipmate Who Lives In India would have something to say about that ... [Devil]

There used to be a restaurant in St. John's that regularly offered D. the Senior Citizen's discount before he was 50 (he's 59 now). He didn't mind at all - $5 is $5 after all. His hair's been grey for over 20 years, so I suppose they could be forgiven for thinking he's older than his years.

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

In contrast, I was mistaken for my 13 year old's big sister on Friday.

Neener neener.

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

Yeah, yeah, we all know you're a hottie. Tell us something we don't know.

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

quote:
Originally posted by comet:
In contrast, I was mistaken for my 13 year old's big sister on Friday.

Neener neener.

Would you like a sweetie? Come over here.

Posted by deano (# 12063) on :

quote:
Originally posted by comet:
In contrast, I was mistaken for my 13 year old's big sister on Friday.

Neener neener.

53-year old big sister?

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

About ten years ago (I was in my early 50s) I went to lunch with a friend after church on Sunday and ordered a beer. The waiter (who was very young and had only worked there a few days) carded me. The following Wednesday I had a birthday. On Friday I went to a movie and the ticket person, without asking or saying anything, automatically handed me a senior ticket. Wow! What a difference one birthday made! I went from looking under 21 to over 65 within five days.
[Frown]

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:
I went from looking under 21 to over 65 within five days.

Living in Mormon Central will do that to you.

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :

Many years ago, my sister and I caught bus from station to holiday beach house. I was in uni, third year and my sister is six years younger than I am.

She was horrified when we compared tickets. I had been given a child ticket and charged for that. Hers was full fare.

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:

quote:
Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:
I went from looking under 21 to over 65 within five days.

Living in Mormon Central will do that to you.

Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :

There is a certain age when adults are carded and take pleasure in the mistake. The next age is the one where carding causes the feeling of "don't be silly".
[Biased]

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
Yeah, yeah, we all know you're a hottie. Tell us something we don't know.

I take my smug when I can get it. [Big Grin]

Makes up for the rest of the time when my son says things like, "Mama! I found this old picture of you! You used to be pretty!"

Little asshole didn't need to sound quite so shocked.

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:

quote:
Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:
I went from looking under 21 to over 65 within five days.

Living in Mormon Central will do that to you.

Have they taken over Hogwart's?? (Pigwidgeon's location.)

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Golden Key:

quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:

quote:
Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:
I went from looking under 21 to over 65 within five days.

Living in Mormon Central will do that to you.
Have they taken over Hogwart's?? (Pigwidgeon's location.)

My dear friend Miss Amanda knows that when I'm not delivering mail to Hogwart's I live very near the heart of Mormonism (aka Mesa) here in Arizona.

Posted by mdijon (# 8520) on :

quote:
Originally posted by comet:
Makes up for the rest of the time when my son says things like, "Mama! I found this old picture of you! You used to be pretty!"

I heard the story;

"Mummy, why are you putting cream on your face?"

"To make me nice and beautiful sweetie".

Pause for further observation.

"I don't think it's working mummy"

Posted by Uncle Pete (# 10422) on :

Nearly 30 years ago I was visiting my sister in Toronto before she and her family relocated to the wilds of British Columbia. On a whim, we decided to go to the Canadian National Exhibition which we had both visited in our childhood, but never together. We stopped at the Guess your age stand, which promised to guess our ages within 2 years. I went first and he was spot on. She went next and was out by 5 years older. As I bent over laughing and managing to gasp "Well, you've always said you were my older sister", she protested to the guesser "But he's my TWIN!!!"

Ah, revenge.

PS: We're still talking to each other.

Posted by Pyx_e (# 57) on :

One of the joys of being a God-fearing person is a certain aura of youth and general well being. One of the many pluses.

Of course I am too holy to make any comment about the worry frowns, wrinkles and general demeanour of those who do not know Jesus as their Lord and saviour. I do however keep little bottles of regenerative face cream in my pocket to drop onto the bags and oxygen tank carriers of the un-regenerate.

Hope it helps.

Posted by Honest Ron Bacardi (# 38) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Pyx_e:
One of the joys of being a God-fearing person is a certain aura of youth and general well being. One of the many pluses.

Of course I am too holy to make any comment about the worry frowns, wrinkles and general demeanour of those who do not know Jesus as their Lord and saviour. I do however keep little bottles of regenerative face cream in my pocket to drop onto the bags and oxygen tank carriers of the un-regenerate.

An amusing tip. If you can get the little bottles into the oxygen masks, they don't half go off with a bang when senior citizen lights up.

Always good for a mid-morning chortle.

Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on :

My beauty treatment consists of thanking God daily for my rosy English complexion.

Even with the receding hairline people underestimate my age. No baseball cap required.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

You do look really young. I was afraid they were gonna kick us out of the Thirsty Bear.

Posted by basso (# 4228) on :

I was on the train to San Francisco to meet my family for lunch. I had just turned 50. On a fairly full train, a young thing (bless her!) immediately hopped up to give me her seat.

I accepted, of course.

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

Pyx_e--

I trust you have instructive Scripture verses printed on the bottles?

Posted by JoannaP (# 4493) on :

quote:
Originally posted by basso:
I was on the train to San Francisco to meet my family for lunch. I had just turned 50. On a fairly full train, a young thing (bless her!) immediately hopped up to give me her seat.

I accepted, of course.

Whereas the Mistress of Tact here, on being given a seat on the bus several years ago, reacted with "I don't look that old do I?" [Hot and Hormonal]

The very polite young man assured me that he was offering the seat purely on the basis of my gender not my age and, my brain having kicked in, I thanked him profusely and sat down.

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :

quote:
Originally posted by comet:
... I was mistaken for my 13 year old's big sister on Friday ...

When I went with my niece to collect a Chinese take-away from their regular place, the bloke behind the counter looked at me and said, "you must be her mum's sister". I admitted that I was, and he said, "you're the older sister?"

Because I'm a very nice piglet, I managed to tell him that she's 6½ years older than me without punching him ... [Devil]

Posted by Doc Tor (# 9748) on :

Some young whippersnapper who I was doing lengths with in the pool commented "You're quite fast for..."

Yeah, yeah, I know. Must have been the zimmerframe parked next to the stairs at the shallow end that gave it away.

Posted by stonespring (# 15530) on :

I am 30 but for over a year I have been a member of the American Association of Retired Persons because my husband is over 50 (it's the largest lobbying group in the country, or at least it used to be - but most people join it for all the discounts). I get a card and everything. Creepily, not long after his 50th birthday, he got a letter from the AARP inviting him to join. I don't want to know how they got his contact information and date of birth.

Posted by HCH (# 14313) on :

I for one an happy on those rare occasions when I receive a discount because of my age. Of course, such occasions may become less rare over time.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

I see the FB sidebar is currently offering me 'facial fillers' - which, disappointingly turn out not to be chocolate gateaux, but (presumably) some sort of organic polyfilla for the time-gouged furrows patterning my visage like the canals of Mars.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

I was lunching with a thirtysomething male friend, and one of his friends asked if I was his mother.

Part of me was like, " Bite me! I'm 46, for fuck's sake!" But most of me was like, " Well, if I were a decade or so older-- at least-- I couldn't ask for a nicer son."

[ 11. February 2015, 23:08: Message edited by: Kelly Alves ]

Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
You do look really young. I was afraid they were gonna kick us out of the Thirsty Bear.

Oh come on, I don't look that young.

Well, maybe I do when I'm on 6 months holiday.

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
I see the FB sidebar is currently offering me 'facial fillers' - which, disappointingly turn out not to be chocolate gateaux, but (presumably) some sort of organic polyfilla for the time-gouged furrows patterning my visage like the canals of Mars.

Chocolate facial filler could be an interesting fashion statement. [Smile]

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

I read that two hours ago, and the mental image that leapt to my mind had me half out of my chair in terror. Still gives me the willies. I was picturing a confectionery version of Scanners.

Posted by Barefoot Friar (# 13100) on :

quote:
Originally posted by stonespring:
I am 30 but for over a year I have been a member of the American Association of Retired Persons because my husband is over 50 (it's the largest lobbying group in the country, or at least it used to be - but most people join it for all the discounts). I get a card and everything. Creepily, not long after his 50th birthday, he got a letter from the AARP inviting him to join. I don't want to know how they got his contact information and date of birth.

I get them frequently, despite being in my mid-30s and the oldest person in the household. It seems they go more for mass mailing and less for age-specific mass mailing.

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

There was a time when AARP's publication, called Modern Maturity in those days, featured obviously older models in their advertisements, as well as articles about people who have aged gracefully.

Then they changed the name of the publication to AARP Magazine, and suddenly the older models were replaced by younger ones, and the articles became all about people refusing to grow old despite their biological age.

But I canceled my membership after my father had to close his bank account and open a new one in order to stop them from continuing to deduct a monthly supplemental insurance payment from his checking account months after he had canceled the insurance.

I'm still bombarded by mass mailings from AARP -- got one yesterday with temporary membership cards enclosed begging me to reinstate my membership. They all go directly from mailbox to shredder without my even opening them.

Posted by Pyx_e (# 57) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Golden Key:

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
I see the FB sidebar is currently offering me 'facial fillers' - which, disappointingly turn out not to be chocolate gateaux, but (presumably) some sort of organic polyfilla for the time-gouged furrows patterning my visage like the canals of Mars.
Chocolate facial filler could be an interesting fashion statement.

The name of the cosmetic is "Mammy."

A joke only available to the old.

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

When I was much too young for AARP I was bombarded with their mailings. Now that I'm (ahem) more than eligible for their services, I receive nothing from them, I'm happy to say.

Posted by Albertus (# 13356) on :

I'm 48. My father in law has consistently suspected over the last 20 years that I am at least a decade older. Occasionally he throws in something to try to catch me out, like asking whether I remember trolleybuses.

Posted by Jengie jon (# 273) on :

I used to go on holiday with a group that attracted a lot of very active senior citizens. I was in my thirties. One day we ducked out of walking (six miles across barren moors through torrential rain) and decided to go around a garden instead (only an hour in the rain plus the possibility of a tea room).

We were all cagooled up, and the four or five in front of me were all over sixty. I was however rather surprised to be offered senior citizen rate.

Jengie

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Jengie jon:

We were all cagooled up, and the four or five in front of me were all over sixty. I was however rather surprised to be offered senior citizen rate.

Jengie

Disproves the saying that the way to look young is to hang around with very old people.

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

One of the joys of going to church is being one of "the young ones" even now I'm fifty.

NEQ, Young by Presbyterian Standards [Smile]

Posted by stonespring (# 15530) on :

In New York City night clubs and other bars often have a blanket policy of asking to see everyone's ID before letting people in, even when a person looks decades and decades over the age of 21. This is because newspapers have conducted "sting" operations where they send a 20 year old who looks 40 into the bar to order a drink and if they get served they write an article shaming the paper and then the bar is in trouble with the police.

I think the law (or bar policy) in at least some places is that everyone 40 or younger must be asked for identification, to allow for old-looking young people. But that means that people get offended for not being asked - they think it means that they look old. So in a lot of the popular bars, everyone is asked to show ID.

Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :

You can call me a senior or anything else just so long as it comes with a discount. Hotel rooms, yes thank you, Movie tickets, I will take one, Senior meals, yes who needs the extra soup and salad, even the electrician gives me a discount. Lunch at the senior center for $4.00 comes with salad, drink and dessert. Best game in town.

Posted by basso (# 4228) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:

I'm still bombarded by mass mailings from AARP --

Their famous recruiting campaign missed me for years -- I never got a single mailing despite being long past the qualifying age.

Somebody here suggested that there were good buys available with membership, so I joined last year. All I ever got as a result was insurance offers. Usually about one a day. (Okay, I did get the magazine. Not a bad publication.)

If they're other than an insurance clearance house you couldn't prove it by my experience.

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

I belong to AARP. While the insurance mailers are annoying, I get discounts at Walgreen's; I can get all sorts of other discounts (see their site); I get periodicals (which happen to have pics of cute, aging celebrities on the cover); and a site full of all kinds of useful info, games, volunteer opportunities, etc.

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

quote:
Originally posted by basso:

quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:

I'm still bombarded by mass mailings from AARP --
Their famous recruiting campaign missed me for years -- I never got a single mailing despite being long past the qualifying age.

Somebody here suggested that there were good buys available with membership, so I joined last year. All I ever got as a result was insurance offers. Usually about one a day. (Okay, I did get the magazine. Not a bad publication.)

If they're other than an insurance clearance house you couldn't prove it by my experience.

A medical clinic near me gives 30% discounts on prescription glasses to those with an AARP membership. You might call around.

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
I read that two hours ago, and the mental image that leapt to my mind had me half out of my chair in terror. Still gives me the willies. I was picturing a confectionery version of Scanners.

Haven't seen "Scanners"; but I was thinking of something like Maori markings, or those of Jadzia Dax.

I emphatically did *not* mean "Mammy" makeup, as someone else suggested. Never ever ever.

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

quote:
Originally posted by basso:
Somebody here suggested that there were good buys available with membership, so I joined last year.

I belong to AARP because I like their supplementary health insurance policy. I can see any specialist I like without having to go through a gatekeeper.

As far as discounts are concerned, I also belong to AAA (American Automobile Association), and they offer many of the same discounts as AARP.

Moo

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Moo:
As far as discounts are concerned, I also belong to AAA (American Automobile Association), and they offer many of the same discounts as AARP.

Exactly. Or the same discounts you can get simply by showing your Medicare card, or in some cases simply by asking for the "senior discount" without being required to show anything.

Posted by Anselmina (# 3032) on :

The UK seems to be very mixed up over who is and isn't considered an older person. And therefore who's in need of a bit of extra help here and there.

My 75 year old mother gets visited regularly by a council-funded Floating Fold organization who send out support workers to 'senior members of the community' helping them to access benefits, occupational therapy aids, friendship groups and acitivites etc. The starting age is 50.

I'm now less than one year away from becoming eligible for this kind of attention myself. However, when I go to work, among my colleagues are nurses in their mid-sixties yearning for statutory retirement, and freedom from the hefting about of huge, heavy pieces of machinery, laundry sacks and sedated patients. [Confused]

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

Each week, since retiring, I've been playing Scrabble with several ladies aged over 90. They keep going on about how young I am, and calling me 'the baby'. I therefore suggest the OPer does the same and joins a group where everyone is older than him. Then he will be happy, being treated as though he is still extremely young.

Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Chorister:
I therefore suggest the OPer does the same and joins a group where everyone is older than him. .

Most UK churches would fit the bill for anyone under 104.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

I was thrilled when, in the US, lots of places let me in on concessionary tickets as a 'senior' at 55 [Big Grin]

So much so that I now ask wherever I go 'what age do you give senior concessions?' Not much joy here in the UK 'tho, I must say!

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

Ah! There's your mistake. You are asking about age limits instead of breezily saying, "Senior, please". [Two face]

(Did I mention the bit about not coloring one's hair? Oh, yeah, I did. [Big Grin]

)

Posted by SusanDoris (# 12618) on :

In my tap dance group, we have a couple of youngsters who haven't reached 70 yet, but our average age (12 of us) is 75 and rising!! [Smile]

However, our only concession to age is that we do not try to dance to the speed at which the syllabus is set!

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

The two young girls (aged about 15) on work experience at the swimming pool didn't even bother to ask if we wanted 'senior swim' tickets. They took one look and gave them to us anyway. We spent the money saved on an extra cake each with coffee, after our swim. Win, win.

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :

quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:
One of the joys of going to church is being one of "the young ones" even now I'm fifty.

NEQ, Young by Presbyterian Standards

Our Presbyterian Minister was asked if the church had a youth group - "Yes, I'm part of it" he said - having just received his Gold Card (65 years old) [Big Grin]

In NZ most discounts aren't available until people are 65 years old, which is also when National Superannuation kicks in. Long distance buses, trains and the Interisland ferry have golden age fares, which are available from60years onwards. (Not sure if this applies to overseas travellers though).

Huia

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

I'm still in the younger half of the "Young Wives" Group. The rule used to be that you ceased to be a "Young Wife" when your eldest child went to secondary school, at which point you were supposed the join the Women's Guild.

Then you ceased to be a "Young Wife" when you celebrated your Silver Wedding Anniversary.

Then we toyed about changing the rule so that you ceased to be a "Young Wife" when your eldest grandchild went to school, but decided this was unfair on those whose grandchildren were at secondary school, but who didn't feel old enough for The Guild.

I was asked to give a talk to a women's group at a neighbouring church, and asked what age group their Women's Group covered. "We're the ones who are too old for the Young Wives, but not old enough for The Guild" I was told. It turned out this was the 60-80 group. I've no idea how old the Guild membership were.

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :

Here in the UK you can buy a Senior Railcard for £30 per year and it will give you up to 30% off train fares. But there are restrictions about the time you can travel - if you have a hospital appointment in London before 10.30am for example, its no good because there's no reduction during the morning rush hour.

You can get a bus pass once you reach state pension age - which for most people now is 65 or older.

From age 60 people who live in London boroughs can pay for an annual 60+ pass which will give them free off-peak travel until they reach state pension age, at which point they get a Freedom pass which gives them free transportation all over the London network.

We've recently lost one of our busiest bus routes because the operator claimed they couldn't make a profit because it was mainly used by the elderly. I suspect this problem will increase.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

Scotland is the Land of the Silver Busser - I could travel from Gretna to Thurso for free. Are the bus companies overly chuffed about it? Possibly not. But no political party is going to alienate c 20% of the electorate by proposing its abolition or reduction.

Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :

quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
We've recently lost one of our busiest bus routes because the operator claimed they couldn't make a profit because it was mainly used by the elderly. I suspect this problem will increase.

We moved to our present house because it had a bus stop outside the door. The route closed last summer - the same reason was given. There is something wrong with the system of Government reimbursement for free fares, as it's supposed to be "neither win nor lose" for the operators - but it isn't.

[ 18. February 2015, 07:39: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]

Posted by Pyx_e (# 57) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Chorister:
The two young girls (aged about 15) on work experience at the swimming pool didn't even bother to ask if we wanted 'senior swim' tickets.

Do you have a special seat to be lowered in? Do you float or sink?

Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on :

I like this stuff about bus routes being cancelled. It has the potential for all you old farts getting cranky, the way you're supposed to be, both because you're cranky old farts and because this is Hell. It was beginning to look like an All Saints helpful hints thread for a while.

Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :

Did I hear someone call for cranky?

Some daft waiter gave me a senior menu and my husband a regular menu. It was like he didn't even want a tip.

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

But here's the problem with these senior's discounts: you don't need them. Seniors have more money than the 20-30 crowd (oh sure some of you have sob stories about being poor, but you're to blame for that, you grew up in an expanding economy, where morons could get good jobs, you need to blame yourself). Yup, seniors may have their wads of dough tied up in houses that they bought for 1/5 of what they can sell them for, or in mutual funds, or actual defined benefit pensions. Not deserving of these discounts.

Nope, next time you get offered a senior discount, hand the extra cash to the millennial behind you, struggling to find meaningful work in a world plugged up with whining baby boomers, who racked up all the debt, then cut all the services so they could get tax breaks, and decided that young people should go 'user pay' when they never did. I know, I am one of them . Repent baby boomers!

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

Screw you. I'm a disabled senior on a fixed income and I am fine with getting a little break once in a while. If you don't like that you can stick it. [Mad]

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

Same situation as Lyda Rose. Lots and lots of seniors and disabled folk *need* discounts.

And, no prophet's oratory to the contrary, it's never been as simple as "only morons couldn't get a job". For long stretches of time, even tech grads had a very hard time getting work--because companies hired experienced programmers at entry-level wages. Businesses adopted a "just in time" protocol--they used a lot of temps (low pay) and contractors (high pay), so they wouldn't have to pay benefits and could easily ditch workers when not needed.

Many people never had the opportunity to build up wads of money, or buy houses. AFAIK, most people rent apartments, or even rooms. Here in SF, some people rent out their closets as *bedrooms*--that's how bad both rent prices and availability are. Many people live in SRO hotels, or in cars, abandoned buildings, or on the street. When the dot-com bubble burst, even dot-comers wound up homeless.

And benefits have been cut for all sorts of people--even In-Home Supportive Services for the elderly and disabled.

As to changes in benefits and taxes: in case you haven't noticed, even democracies tend not to listen to their people. You got a problem with the situation? Call DC. Don't blame other people who are also in a bad situation.

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

There's always exceptions, but the trend is as I state.

Baby boomers vs. millenials: bleak economic outlook for young Canadians

quote:
younger workers, aged 25-29 make 64 per cent less than workers aged 50 to 54. For the first time, the generation now aged 25 to 29 risks being ultimately poorer than their parents.

So sorry about your specific situations, but the group needing breaks is the younger not older, as a group. I am watching it unfold, as my children go from contract to contract, without any permanency, no employee benefits, no pensions. And top of their classes when they got their degrees.

Here's a few more links for you:

Gen Y: no jobs lots of loans grim future (NBC)

Do Millennials Stand a Chance? (NY Times)

quote:
research shows that even as the country has grown richer, Generations X and Y, meaning people up to about age 40, have amassed less wealth than their parents had when they were young."

Why can't the selfie generation find jobs? (BBC)

quote:
If you're not part of Gen Y, you didn't grow up with the highest student debt in history in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression. Maybe that's why so many millennials are living in their parents' basements, unemployed or underemployed.

edit: ? who the hell is DC ? I am not American.

[ 19. February 2015, 02:28: Message edited by: no prophet's flag is set so... ]

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

Hey, everybody is bad off right now. Tell it to the people who consistently vote Republican despite clear evidence that they are screwing themselves by doing so.

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

(coughs)

I don't know why, but the media consistently forgets generation X, between the boomers and gen Y. I think we were the first to get screwed and end up poorer than our parents. Though that seems to be the new default for generations going forward.

I don't think I know anyone of my generation or younger who has a secure, years-on-end full-time job with benefits. Heck, if you have a full-time job you're doing well--tons of us are piecing things together with part-time jobs no matter what our education is (I've a PhD myself, and the P stands for "peanuts"). The longest I've ever worked anywhere is seven years, and I've been laid off (officially or otherwise) almost every time. And the places I used to work--well, most of them don't exist anymore. It's a disposable world now.

But I don't want to take away the senior discounts. Most of the seniors I know are struggling too.

I just figure we're all screwed, and I'm going to have to get serious about that whole "give us this day our daily bread" thing. Because I don't have the option of committing idolatry by trusting in my pension/bank account/Social Security.

I suppose that's one good thing to be said for the current state of fucked-up-ness!

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

no prophet--

I always get confused about where you are, because of your stated location. I know that, in some places along the Canadian/US border, there's more or less one town that spills across. I almost said, "Call DC--or, in your case, Ottawa".

I'm not discounting at all what younger generations are going through. *I* went through much the same, when I was younger. ISTM that there are usually lots of people suffering economically. But recognition and acknowledgement of it goes in cycles. E.g., back in the '70s, the common reference was to "Ph.Ds driving taxi cabs"--'cause many were. Society--especially the rich and powerful--doesn't want to confirm any of this, because it upsets the apple cart. If people go to college so they can get a good job, and that doesn't work, and that happens to lots of people, then the whole illusion of "work hard in school, work hard in college, get a good job based on your degree, get married, save your money, buy a house, raise a family, retire on your savings and a healthy pension from work--you're living the American dream, baby!" falls apart in ugly shreds. And people get angry, and start looking for someone to blame (often, the wrong people), and order a catalogue of torches and pitchforks.

Plus everyday sorts of people don't want to acknowledge the problems in the system, because it means acknowledging that *their* dream might be in danger.

Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :

When I retire, a Seniors' Card allowing concessions on public transport will be the only benefit I receive, all others being means-tested. My father tells me that in years gone by there were tax concessions for the over-65s. Certainly no general ones now (there are for superannuation payments) but then again there are now proportionally many more people in that age bracket.

Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
I don't think I know anyone of my generation or younger who has a secure, years-on-end full-time job with benefits.

*Waves hello*

Greetings from Generation X.

I'll give you a clue: your age is not the only factor here. It's also affected by other things such as the industry you're in and the country you're in.

Having said that, I did have to fight for my own job at one point as part of the after-effects of a restructure, and the government currently employing me has been minded to reduce its workforce, but exactly how much security can anyone get? I can't see that anyone anywhere can justifiably be totally safe in a job-for-life, because the world changes.

But... 13.5 years in the public service, 6.5 years in current job, still here.

[ 19. February 2015, 06:17: Message edited by: orfeo ]

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

Province of Buffalo: Map B in the set of pictures.

Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :

I'm going to pack up my fifty-cent cup of McDonald's coffee right now and send it to No Prophet to split up among his children.

Actually it sounds to me like you've confused my Baby-Boomer generation with our parents. My (first) husband, like many of my friends, graduated in 1969 with a teaching degree because we were all told "they'll always need teachers." Well yes, but if there are ten teachers for every opening it won't help much. He couldn't find a job for the first eleven years of our marriage so we lived on what he made doing random construction work and my part time, minimum wage retail jobs. I remember our annual income was around $3000 dollars and that was considered below poverty level. We were literally hungry a lot of the time, had no car in a town without buses, and wore the same clothes every day, me washing them plus all the cloth diapers in the tub because and hanging them on the line -- only to watch them blow off because we didn't have clothes pins.(I was really tempted to steal some from the bags of pins the neighbor women left on their lines.)

It took us four years to pay off the hospital for my son's birth.

Your kids may be having problems getting this dream job you think we all had but they do have degrees and I'll bet they have free medical care.

You're just being silly hating us for advantages you see in your statistics, because it's not like we took more than our share out of a giant cookie jar. We couldn't see the future. That's why we got all those education degrees.

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

You get discount hair cuts once you're retired - but some of us have less hair to cut.

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

Twilight, it's okay, you can keep it.

Yes, I walked in barefeet uphill both ways to school as well. Lucky for me, university cost about $300 a year when I started and I could make $400/month at summer work. So no undergraduate debt. Then I got paid to get two more degrees and a post-doc, for a total of 7 more years on top of the 5 I did as an undergrad. But we also became non-consumers because scholarships are not that lucrative. I also figured out I was comfortable with risk, both in terms of employment and money. So self employed and a speculative investor.

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

quote:
Originally posted by leo:
some of us have less hair to cut.

Which makes it easier to cut one's own -- a great savings in money!

Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :

When I got my first unsolicited application for AARP, I think I cried. But I signed up. And after we got a significant discount on our lodging -- more than we would have with my partner's military ID -- I didn't look back. Hit me with those senior discounts, baby!

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :

quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:
... I've no idea how old the Guild membership were.

During the few years when I was in the Altar Guild* I single-handedly brought the average age down by two years.

* I didn't volunteer, you understand - I was conscripted. As soon as I got a job, I was out of there! [Big Grin]

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:

quote:
Originally posted by leo:
some of us have less hair to cut.
Which makes it easier to cut one's own -- a great savings in money!

Some of us can't afford the search fee.

Posted by Jengie jon (# 273) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Piglet:

quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:
... I've no idea how old the Guild membership were.
During the few years when I was in the Altar Guild* I single-handedly brought the average age down by two years.

* I didn't volunteer, you understand - I was conscripted. As soon as I got a job, I was out of there!

I am surprised at you as a Scot. The Guild is the CofS/URC equivalent to the Mothers Union or the "women's meeting" for those more evangelical minded or Network for Methodists. The CofS has this organised nationally, with the URC they are a lot of independent meetings attached to URC congregations but often called the "Guild" or "Women's Guild".

This is a sign of how Anglican these boards are.

Jengie

Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :

Jengie - You're right; however I think that there is a fundamental difference between a CofS "Women's Guild" (which is as you say) and an Anglican "Altar Guild" (which, I think, is the group who does the church linen etc.) Presumably that could even (gasp!) include men.

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
Presumably that could even (gasp!) include men.

We have two men on our Episcopal Altar Guild, and I've known of others elsewhere.
[Razz]

Posted by Jengie jon (# 273) on :

Baptist Trainfan

NEQ is CofS!

So her making comments about "Guild" means what we would mean.

Therefore, piglet's comments on Altar Guild are a misreading of NEQ.

Jengie

Posted by Ariston (# 10894) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Jengie jon:
Baptist Trainfan

NEQ is CofS!

So her making comments about "Guild" means what we would mean.

Therefore, piglet's comments on Altar Guild are a misreading of NEQ.

Jengie

Or, perhaps, another story used as evidence to illustrate a general point under discussion about the age of church members and church boards. The fact that both organizations are called "guild" has about as much relevance as "how Anglican these boards are:" none.

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
Jengie - You're right; however I think that there is a fundamental difference between a CofS "Women's Guild" (which is as you say) and an Anglican "Altar Guild" (which, I think, is the group who does the church linen etc.) Presumably that could even (gasp!) include men.

Tangent //Technically, men can join the C of S Guild; it ceased to be called the C of S Women's Guild in 1997, to enable men to join. I'm not aware of any locally having done so, but there are rumours of male Guild members elsewhere.

My husband was rota'd as Visiting Elder to the Guild a couple of years ago, and I would have given a decent sized donation if they'd made him attend the night the topic was "post menopausal incontinence" with a range of internal kegal devices and pelvic squeezers on display. Alas! he ended up going on a different night. // end tangent

Posted by Patdys (# 9397) on :

As long as the sun never sets on the British Empire, in our hearts, we are all Anglican.

UBB.classic^TM 6.5.0