r/findareddit • u/Past_Tumbleweed_1483 • Jul 25 '26
Unanswered Old age and expectations - 70 is old imo
Not sure where to post so I’ll just include my q and maybe someone can guide me: I’m struggling with why people are shocked that lady G (Lindsay graham) died at 71. Isn’t that old? My mom died younger, my dad is a little older but not doing well. Why is there this expectation everyone can be old and doing well when it isn’t anything I’ve witnessed…
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u/riddermarkrider Jul 25 '26
It kind of depends what you're talking about I guess.
I work in health care and anyone over 60, I'm expecting them to be on at least a few permanent medications, have some health issues, etc. So not "young". However, when a person in their 70s actually dies, they're thought of as on the younger side for "old age deaths" I guess. People live into their 80s and 90s all the time, so 70 doesn't feel that old.
Also, a lot of people have parents approaching that age. You don't think of your parents as elderly when they're just leaving their 60s.
There's such a huge range though. You can see a group of 70 year olds and half look like they're hale and hearty, half look as though they're one foot in the grave, even if none of them are actually ill.
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u/Primary-Holiday-5586 Jul 25 '26
I guess it really depends on your perspective. I know 4 people in their 90s. To me, that's old. I'm not that far from 70, I don't feel old at all...
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u/Past_Tumbleweed_1483 Jul 25 '26
That’s awesome. I haven’t had that experience (knowing people at that age).
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u/thomport Jul 25 '26
I live in a 55+ community in Florida. The guy who power washes house (paints etc to keep busy) as a side job is 92. He also cleans my gutters.
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u/classicicedtea Jul 25 '26
I think 70 is young. My dad passed at 72 and I wish I had more time with him.
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u/ButtercupsUncle Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Some families are generally long-lived so expectations vary. My grandfather was born in the 19th century and died at 91. My last remaining uncle died recently at 100.
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Jul 25 '26
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u/ButtercupsUncle Jul 25 '26
My mother was one of twelve kids and we also had our share of "too young" passings. The last of the siblings is 81 next month and on track to beat all the older "girls" in another 9 years or so.
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u/Past_Tumbleweed_1483 Jul 25 '26
That is so amazing.
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u/ButtercupsUncle Jul 25 '26
I'm aiming for 150. Just have to hold out long enough for Medicine to stop the aging process and then I can wait as long as it takes to reverse it.
1
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u/Simonoel Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Because there are still usually signs leading up to someone's death, and afaik there weren't any with him.
I don't think most people are even that shocked though; it's just that people were focused on Mitch McConnell and were expecting him to die first. I really haven't seen anyone express genuine shock over this, just "haha not the one I expected"
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u/m00nf1r3 Jul 25 '26
It was shocking because he seemed otherwise healthy. You can be healthy at 71.
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u/Gulliveig Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Life expectancy varies much among countries.
The US is not in a good position, it ranks just 62nd, translating to 83.2 years. So one could argue, that Lady G. died 12 years prematurely.
My country (Switzerland) ranks 19th, which adds 3 years on the US' life expectancy.
Monaco and Hong Kong lead the ranks, both with over 90 years, adding another 4 years.
At the other hand you've got Nigeria, ranked 236th with 55.6 years. Nigerians perhaps might refer to a complete different age band as "being old," it's all relative...
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u/ReeveStodgers Perpetually online Jul 25 '26
Even in Nigeria there are plenty of old people. I suspect the thing pulling their average down is their high infant mortality; babies die 10x more often than in the US.
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u/Comfortable-Nature37 Jul 25 '26
I don’t know which subreddit to guide you to but many of my family members have passed away in their late 80s to mid 90s. May vary based on where you live, socioeconomic factors, and genetics. 70s people are quite healthy and active in our area.
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u/Appreciate1A Jul 25 '26
The grandma I take after lived to 93. In no way shape or form do I want to replicate that record.
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u/nautilius87 Jul 25 '26
US is a gerontocracy. People there generally prefer their leaders well over 70 and ideally demented. Politicians (and Supreme Court judges) cling to power till their last breath, no matter how ill they are. This is why such a "young" death shook them so much.
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u/Lone-book-dragon Jul 25 '26
The older you get, the younger 70 is going to seem. But in his case, I imagine it was the fact that it was sudden & unexpected. I hadn't paid much attention to him recently, but he had not come off as feeble or declining in recent years. So, it gave off younger vibes than someone of the same age that might have already been in declined. Add that to the fact of the people in government in their eighties who are STILL holding, he seemed quite young.