Old age

consists of ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings

thumb| The Favorite – Grandfather and Grandson, by Georgios Jakobides (1890)

Ageing (or aging in American English) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi; whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In a broader sense, ageing can refer to single cells within an organism which have ceased dividing, or to the population of a species.

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Senescence () or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms. Whole organism senescence involves an increase in death rates or a decrease in fecundity with increasing age, at least in the later part of an organism's life cycle. However, the effects of senescence can be delayed. The 1934 discovery that calorie restriction can extend lifespans by 50% in rats, the existence of species having negligible senescence, and the existence of potentially immortal organisms such as members of the genus Hydra have motivated research into delaying senescen

Gerontophilia or gerontosexuality is the primary sexual attraction to older people. Gerontophilia is poorly defined in academia, leading to skewed statistics and lack of understanding. For instance, whether someone who is sexually attracted to individuals of any age older than their own could be diagnosed or whether the attraction is solely for elderly individuals, remains undecided. A person with such a sexual preference is a gerontophile or gerontosexual.

In Greek mythology, Geras () is the god of old age. He was typically depicted as a tiny, shriveled old man. Gēras's opposite was Hebe, the goddess of youth. In Latin, he is referred to as Senectus. He is known primarily from vase depictions that show him with the hero Heracles; the mythic story that inspired these depictions has been lost. Otherwise, Geras has a very limited role in both religion and mythology.

character archetype

loan to homeowners age 62+ not requiring ongoing cash repayment besides property charges

odor of elderly humans

thumb|A depiction of Elli wrestling Thor (1919) by Robert Engels. In Norse mythology (a subset of Germanic mythology), Elli (Old Norse: , "old age") is a personification of old age who, in the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, defeats Thor in a wrestling match.

Gerontophobia is the hatred or fear of older adults, or a fear of age-related self-degeneration (similar to gerascophobia). The term comes from the Greek γέρων – gerōn, "old man" and φόβος – phobos, "fear". Gerontophobia that stems from a fear of aging has been linked to thanatophobia, as fear of old age can be a precursor to fear of death. Gerontophobia can be caused by stereotypes of older adults displayed in the media.

Senicide, also known as geronticide or gerontocide, is the practice of killing the elderly. This killing of the elderly can be characterized by both active and passive methods as senio-euthanasia or altruistic self-sacrifice. The aim of active senio-euthanasia is to relieve the clan, family, or society from the burden of an old person. But an old person might kill themself (autothanasia) altruistically. In case of the altruistic self-sacrifice, the aim is to fulfill an old tradition or to stop being a burden to the clan. Both are understood as a sacrificial death.

social perception

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Gerascophobia is an abnormal or incessant fear of growing older or ageing (senescence). Fear is characterised as an unpleasant emotion experienced as a result of some perceived threat or source of danger, in the case of gerascophobia that threat is ageing. This fear is irrational and disproportionate to any threat posed and persists even in the case that the individual is in perfect health.

Indian saint, Padma Bhushan recipient.

world day

Annual United Nations observance for older people

individuals who take time to discover themselves

term

divorce of older couples in long-lasting marriages

thumb|312x312px|Factors involved in inflammaging: Aging leads to perturbations in cellular homeostasis leading to inflammaging that results in pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion. Inflammaging (also known as inflamm-aging or inflamm-ageing) is a chronic, sterile, low-grade inflammation that develops with advanced age, in the absence of overt infection, and may contribute to clinical manifestations of other age-related pathologies. Inflammaging is thought to be caused by a loss of control over systemic inflammation resulting in chronic overstimulation of the innate immune system. Inflammaging i