From “Senior” to “Older Adult” — and Why We Still Say “Elder Law”

When I first wrote about New York’s Master Plan for Aging (MPA), I described it as a plan for “New York’s large, and increasing, senior population and for people with disabilities.”

A colleague pointed out that “senior” is no longer the preferred term in many policy and advocacy contexts. While the MPA itself does use “senior” in places, it more often uses older adult and people in later life.

Why the shift matters

National and international authorities — including the American Psychological Association (APA), the Associated Press (AP), the American Medical Association (AMA), the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) — recommend avoiding terms like “senior,” “senior citizen,” and “the elderly.” These words can unintentionally suggest frailty or dependency.

Instead, they recommend neutral, descriptive, and person-first terms such as older adult, older New Yorker, or people age 60 and older. The idea is to focus on the person, not a label that carries baggage from earlier eras.

Why not call it “Older Law”?

If “senior” is out, why keep “elder” in elder law? The answer is that elder law is a term of art — a recognized label for a specific legal practice area. It appears in the names of bar association sections, CLE courses, and law school curricula. In this context, “elder” is shorthand for a bundle of practice areas: Medicaid planning, guardianships, special needs planning, estate planning, and related tax issues.

Changing the name to “older law” would be confusing. It might even be read as “old laws” rather than “laws affecting older adults.” And because professional bodies have not adopted “older law,” using it could create uncertainty for clients and colleagues.

Takeaway for legal writing

When referring to people, I follow the APA/WHO preference for older adult. But when naming the practice area, I use the profession’s established term: elder law. This approach balances respectful, bias-free language with clarity and recognition in the legal field.