Dallas Senior Care Tip: Why Calling a Senior “Young Man” Can Be Insulting

This morning I went to a local breakfast dive and I was sitting there eating a lovely meal. Towards the end, a man, appearing to be in his 70’s came in and took a seat. The waiter, my waiter, saunters up to him and say “Hey youngster.”

I decided to query this “young man” about calling his customer by a stereotypical brand of endearment. Did he know this gentleman? Was he a regular?

So what was he trying to say, anyway? “Hey, I know you are an old guy, but I am trying to be folksy by calling you youngster” or maybe he was just plain profiling an older senior and didn’t get it. Does he think that a veiled insult is going to increase his tip?

Or maybe its just me. I am a sexagenarian. No, that does not mean I am either over-sexed or under-sexed; it just means I am 64 years old. Woo hoo, Medicare on my next birthday. When people started calling me “sir” in my 50’s, I would look over my shoulder to see if there was someone else standing behind me. But, I also realize that sir or ma’am is partially just a Texas thing. When they started calling me “young man,” I knew that my salt and pepper hair was turning more salt than pepper.

Because providing the professional senior care Dallas families can trust is my passion, I want to ensure that I treat my clients with the dignity and respect they deserve. So, I decided to consult Google to see if this was a thing or if it was me just being over sensitive about my own maturation. And yes, there it was, other people pontificating about pigeonholing senior adults as “old geezers.”

There are a few other sayings that, to me, are also getting a little “old.”

“Today Mr. Gray is 83 years young!”
“She is amazingly young for her age!”

Don’t get me started, I could go on and on.

By the way, the next time you see me, please don’t refer to me as “skinny.”

At Custom Caregivers, our dedicated care staff not only provides the high-quality senior care Dallas area seniors deserve, we also strive to make sure we’re providing a care experience that is respectful of each of our clients. That means we treat each of our clients the way we would want to be treated and choose our words with care and consideration. It’s a guarantee you can count on when entrusting your loved one’s care to Custom Caregivers!

If you’d like to learn more about our staff or our in-home care services, give us a call at (972) 702-7988 or contact us online to schedule a free in-home assessment.