Commentary: I just got used to being in my 50s, now I’m a ‘young senior’

SINGAPORE: Last Sunday I was eating dinner, comfortably sandwiched among three generations of family, when the 52-year-old boyfriend, who was following the live telecast of the National Day Rally out of the corner of his eye, nudged me and said: “Hey, PM just called us ‘young seniors’.”

I paused mid-chew to listen to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong flesh out details of the S$7 billion Majulah Package to help Singaporeans in their 50s and early 60s meet their retirement needs.

In the days after his speech, “young seniors” became a buzzword on and offline.

“Haha ? Don’t know whether to be happy or not? I am finally classified as a “Young Senior” and will be a beneficiary of the recently announce(d) Majulah Package,” former Senior Minister of State for Health and Transport Lam Pin Min wrote on Facebook.

When I turned 50 last year, it took months of consoling myself that according to popular opinion, “50 is the new 30” and “60 is the new 40”. It was only after admiring photos of Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Lopez and Cate Blanchett that I have finally come to terms with being middle-aged.

Now, it feels like the “50 and fabulous” label I’ve applied to my ageing psyche has been prematurely replaced with “soon-to-be senior citizen”, though I am 14 years away from being 65.

Being called a young senior smarts more than receiving that letter, shy of my 40th birthday, informing me I was enrolled in ElderShield. At 39, old age seemed too distant to contemplate.

CALM WORDS OF WISDOM FROM OTHER “YOUNG SENIORS”

It appears that my sentiments are not widely shared. I messaged a group of friends, comprising four 50-year-olds and one 51-year-old, to ask how they felt about being “young seniors”. None of them were fussed.

“I really don’t care about such labels, just give me senior discounts can?” one friend quipped.

Another commented, “I can’t stop people from using whatever term they like, but I can control how I react or respond. If my blood pressure shoots up, I’m the one suffering its effects.”

One friend added that she appreciates Singapore paying attention to ageing-related issues now, in preparing for its transition into a super-aged society.

I thanked my girlfriends for their calm words of wisdom, and wondered if I was the only petty, neurotic 50-something in town.

I’m lucky enough to be a child-free, debt-free semi-retiree whose parents are in relatively good health. So maybe that’s why I’m more bothered by the label “young seniors” than the details of the Majulah Package, which aims to help Singaporeans with heavier caregiving burdens and less financial security.

I’ve always made the effort to age gracefully, whether it means watching what I eat, taking care of my appearance, and keeping physically, mentally and socially active.

Even though I have crow's feet and age spots, have undergone a slipped disc surgery, and now need to wear a knee guard while exercising due to osteoarthritis, I’ve always soothed myself by saying such wear-and-tear could happen to anyone younger with an active lifestyle too.

This while dealing with practical and existential considerations about ageing. As the late Nora Ephron wrote: “Do you splurge or do you hoard? Do you live every day as if it’s your last, or do you save money on the chance you’ll live 20 more years? Is life too short, or is it going to be too long?”

MAKE OF IT WHAT YOU WILL

The thing is, I don’t feel that old. Given that Singapore’s average life expectancy is a relatively long 83 years, and that I don’t have any chronic illness (touch wood), I might live until my 90s. It’s kind of depressing to be classified as a senior citizen this young, and possibly for the next 40 years.

But it is not helpful to think of old age negatively. According to the World Health Organization, pessimistic attitudes about ageing have an adverse impact on older adults, for instance increasing risk of depression and social isolation.

Research from the US shows that seniors who have negative views about their own ageing do not recover as well from disability and live on average 7.5 years less than people with positive attitudes.

Regardless of whether people in their 50s are seniors or not, the truth is that most of us will be here for a long time more. It is up to us to make of it what we will.

As 26th US president Theodore Roosevelt said: “Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you’ve got to start young.”

In the meantime, I’d much prefer being called an “overgrown teenager” or “mature mid-lifer”, thank you.

Tracy Lee is a freelance writer based in Singapore who writes about food, travel, fashion and beauty.