Until the mid-1990s, in human rights terminology, old people would be referred to as “the elderly”. Nowadays, they are referred to as “older people”.

The two terms might not seem much different, but semantics being what it is, a distinction can still be felt.

The word “older” appears to remove a negative connotation when referring to people who are well advanced in their years. Science and genetics are working to slow ageing, and studies show that life expectancy these days is much higher, with promise for more to come.

The underlining reason for the shift in terminology, in human rights terms, is apparently to eradicate discrimination against “old” people, whether in employment or otherwise.

Referring to this group as older attempts to view the ageing process in relative rather than in absolute terms. But then, perhaps ageing people is an even better appellation.

Whatever the word game, if the international human rights bodies aim to remove the discrimination associated with age, they must do so in fact, not semantically only.

More correct in this context would be to inject the principle of biological age rather than numbers. Medicine shows that some people age faster than others. Lifestyle and genetics, for example, are variables that both influence and help measure the real age of individuals.

Be that as it may, ending all forms of discrimination against the old, no matter how we refer to them, should be the real objective.

With age come wisdom, knowledge and experience that should count a great deal in viewing people and measuring their level of contribution to society.

Giving these people the respect and appreciation they deserve is the right thing. Words do not count that much in this case, after all.