An old problem

Re “Scam Probe Tries to Link Women to More Deaths,” May 20

Even this 23-year-old cringes at the use of the term “elderly” to describe the 70-something women in your article. The concept of “old age” is changing, and the corresponding lexicon should as well. With 80-year-olds running marathons and 74-year-olds leading major corporations, “elderly” more often describes a frail body or fragile mind.

For future articles, I suggest you think carefully when using the word “elderly” out of sensitivity to the evolving definitions of age for all readers, not just those old enough to collect Social Security.

DIANN BENTI

College Park, Md.