I hate Senior Citizens month.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the concept.  It’s the name I can’t stand.

Besides not being inclusive (what about non-citizens?) it confuses search engines no end.

I”m the editor of www.seniorplanet.org.  I get tons of spam mail near the end of the school year about prom dresses and paying for college.

Some of that is because lazy or inattentive PR people don’t bother to look at the website before sending me email.

Some of it is because search engines aren’t into nuance.

And some of it is because we haven’t yet figured out what to call people “of a certain age.” (That term,  BTW, has a sophisticated, continental air but it’s too long and really only seems to work in 19th century French novels.)

it would be great to settle on a term that’s descriptive, not “othering” (like “Boomer”), inclusive and apt. To me ‘Senior Citizen” doesn’t cut it.

Personally I prefer ‘Older Person,” but that’s me.

What do you think people over 60 should be called?  Let us know in the comments.

Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City. Send your suggestions for Open Threads to her at editor@seniorplanet.org.