Historically, the United Nations has defined an "older" person as anyone 60 years or older, regardless of that person's individual history or where in the world they live.
The American Geriatric Society and the World Health Organization define the oldest-old as individuals aged over 80 years, while the British Geriatrics Society uses 85 years as a threshold.
The United States' older adult population can thus, be divided into three life-stage subgroups: the young-old (approximately 65 to 74 years old), the middle-old (ages 75 to 84 years old), and the old-old (over age 85).
This report focuses on older Australians – generally those aged 65 and over, unless otherwise specified.
In most industrialized Western nations, someone is considered a senior by the age of 65 or so. But remember: That number is based primarily on retirement age and the age at which social benefits kick in. Many people would not consider someone a senior until they're at least over the age of 70.
More than half of older people were aged 65–74 (56%, 2.4 million people). 3 in 10 were aged 75–84 (31%, 1.3 million). Around 1 in 8 were aged 85 and over (13%, 528,000) (ABS 2020b) (Figure 1.2).
In 2020, population aged 80+ years for Australia was 1,055.27 thousand persons.
Total population aged 90 years and over
In 2020, population aged 90+ years for Australia was 203.28 thousand persons. Population aged 90+ years of Australia increased from 18.56 thousand persons in 1971 to 203.28 thousand persons in 2020 growing at an average annual rate of 5.13%.
Late adulthood. The eighth and final stage of life is late adulthood. This stage refers to any individual who is older than sixty-five years old.
End of Life
End of life is the last stage in the aging process. At this point, the senior is nearing their final days. Some older adults choose to stop receiving medical treatment and enter hospice care, and others wish to continue receiving the same services.
Typically, the elderly has been defined as the chronological age of 65 or older. People from 65 to 74 years old are usually considered early elderly, while those over 75 years old are referred to as late elderly.
We also discovered that mobility decreases dramatically as you age; 33 percent of those older than 80 have difficulty walking, and more than 25 percent have a tough time simply getting out of chairs, so a fitness plan that maintains strength, flexibility, and balance is vital.
Plenty of septuagenarians today look healthy and spry — hence the cliché: 70 is the new 60. "Look at all the tremendous developments in modern medicine, not to mention changes in nutrition," McCarthy said. "And air conditioning — the degree to which we're insulated from our natural environment."
Your Bones, Joints, and Muscles
Your muscles get weaker, and the tendons -- which connect muscles to your skeleton -- get stiffer. This will decrease your strength and flexibility. In your 70s, you might lose an inch or two off your height as disks in your back flatten.
However, as we age, many may notice their energy levels aren't as high as they once were – suddenly afternoon naps become even more appealing. In fact, according to a study by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in 2010, nearly a third of people aged 51 and up experience fatigue.
Reading, working puzzles, and learning new things are just some of the many brain-stimulating activities that can help seniors in their 70s maintain good brain health. Families who find it difficult to care for their aging loved ones without assistance can benefit greatly from professional respite care.
There is a 30% chance of making it to your 90th birthday, and only about 14 in 1,000 will see 100. 70 year olds have a somewhat better prognosis. Almost 2/3 of 70 year old men and almost 3/4 of 70 year old women will live at least another ten years, and over 1/5 of men will make it to 90, as will 1/3 of women.
At the end of the study, about 16 percent of the men and about 34 percent of the women survived to the age of 90. In fact, the authors found that women who were taller than 5 feet 9 inches were 31 percent more likely to reach 90, compared to those who were under 5 feet 3 inches.
The best time to retire for tax purposes in Australia is generally once you attain age 60, as it is at this stage that you will have tax-free access to your superannuation.
Australia's population has grown older, with the median age increasing from 32.7 years at 30 June 1992 to 38.5 years at 30 June 2022. The percentage of the population aged 65 and over has increased from 11% to 17% over the same period.
The long tail of the age distribution in the Census also shows that around 28,000 Australians were aged over 95 and about 3,000 were over 100 years old. Taken together, the average age of someone 65 or over is in fact 75.
Now here is some interesting, non-COVID news - centenarians are now the nation's fastest-growing demographic. "There's about 6000 centenarians in Australia now; there'll be 40,000 of them by 2060," WA academic Professor Leo Flicker, 63, told us.
In the last 100 years, the life expectancy of Australians has increased by 20 years. There are now about 4,250 people aged 100 years or older living in Australia. By 2050, statisticians believe Australia will have more than 50,000 people aged 100 and over.