‘Don’t call me geriatric’: the words patients don’t like GPs using

A survey has suggested many patients dislike terms such as 'old', 'aged' and 'elderly'
Lydia Hales
Older people

Most patients over the age of 65 find the term ‘old’ upsetting and want their doctors to describe them as ‘seniors’ or ‘elders’, a study suggests.

GPs have long struggled with the challenge of finding appropriate language to discuss the ageing process in respectful terms that avoid offending their patients of advancing years.