elderly people
Enable an AI agent to recognise people classified as older adults in a stated context, understand their circumstances and preferences, and identify appropriate support without treating age as evidence of incapacity.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions
Older-age membership Establishes what older age means for the subject and the intended use.
Age criterion
Separates contextual age conventions from evidence about the person's age.
Classification basis
Record the operational criterion, its provenance and the date at which membership is evaluated.
- What age criterion defines older people for this service, jurisdiction, study or interaction? definition
- What evidence supports the person's age and the selected criterion, and where is either uncertain? provenance
Person and population
Keeps individual identity distinct from demographic grouping.
Classification boundaries
Identify the subject level and avoid substituting retirement, illness or care status for older-age membership.
- Does this record concern one person or a population with explicit inclusion criteria? boundary
- Which labels describe the person's age, and which instead describe employment, health or living arrangements? boundary
Function and environment Describes how the person carries out activities that matter to them in their actual surroundings.
Everyday activities
Records activity-specific performance, assistance and personal priorities.
Activity-specific support
Describe activities such as preparing meals, travelling, managing appointments and personal care without assigning a global dependence label.
- Which everyday activities does the person want to perform, and what assistance or equipment do they currently use for each? measurement
- Which changes to assistance would the person welcome, decline or want to try? action
Access and change
Separates environmental barriers and changes over time from age-based assumptions.
Contextual function
Record when and where a difficulty occurs, its evidence and whether it differs from the person's usual experience.
- How do stairs, transport, lighting, communication formats or digital-only services affect the person's chosen activities? measurement
- What has changed from the person's usual functioning, when was it observed, and by whom? provenance
Autonomy and respect Makes the person's wishes, communication needs and permissions central to action.
Supported participation
Establishes how the person wishes to communicate and take part in decisions.
Person-led decisions
Record the person's priorities and the support they want for a particular decision, without inferring incapacity from age.
- What outcome does the person want from the current decision or proposed support? action
- What language, format, pacing, equipment or chosen supporter would help the person express their decision? action
Permission and representation
Separates chosen assistance, information-sharing permission and formally established representative roles.
Authority for involvement
Specify who may participate or receive information, for what purpose and on what verified basis.
- Whom has the person authorised to assist or receive information, and what limits apply? action
- If someone claims authority to decide for the person, what current evidence establishes its scope for this decision? provenance
Connections and resources Covers desired social participation, available support and access to later-life resources.
Relationships and participation
Records meaningful connections and roles as described by the person.
Desired social life
Distinguish contact frequency from the person's satisfaction, desired privacy and preferred community involvement.
- How does the person describe their current connections and any unwanted loneliness or unwanted contact? measurement
- Which relationships, work, learning, caring or community roles do they want help maintaining or changing? action
Practical access
Connects expressed needs to usable support while leaving programme rules to their own models.
Usable support
Record whether relevant transport, housing assistance, income support or care services can actually be accessed.
- Which costs, eligibility conditions, travel requirements or application barriers prevent access to support the person wants? measurement
- What current source verifies the relevant service's eligibility, availability and access route? provenance
Transitions and support continuity Tracks changes affecting later-life arrangements and the reliability of agreed support.
Life transitions
Identifies transitions that the person considers relevant and their effects on existing arrangements.
Transition-led review
Use actual changes and the person's priorities to determine what needs reassessment.
- Has retirement, bereavement, relocation, return from hospital or another transition changed the person's priorities or support? measurement
- Which existing arrangements does the person want reviewed because of that change? action
Support gaps and concerns
Records interruptions and reported concerns with their evidence and an appropriate response route.
Agreed response
Identify what happens when essential agreed support is unavailable or the person reports neglect, coercion or exploitation.
- Which essential support is missing, or what concern has been reported, by whom and when? provenance
- What response reflects the person's wishes and the applicable verified requirements, and who is responsible for carrying it out? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of elderly people this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of elderly people this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of elderly people this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of elderly people this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of elderly people this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of elderly people this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of elderly people this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of elderly people this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.LIV
- Other names and narrower kinds
- Superager, immigrant elderly, elderly loiterer
What it is Filled
Elderly people, often termed older persons or older adults, are human individuals grouped by later chronological age or socially recognised old age, with boundaries that vary by context and do not imply uniform health, ability or dependence.
In scope
- Context-specific older-age classification and its evidence
- Individual variation in functional ability, accessibility requirements and support preferences
- Autonomy, consent and participation in decisions affecting later life
- Living arrangements, social connections and access to relevant resources
- Later-life transitions and continuity of chosen support
Out of scope
- Human species taxonomy and general human anatomy
- Diagnosis and treatment protocols for particular diseases
- Detailed pension, insurance and benefit scheme rules
- Care-provider organisations and facility operations
- Population-wide demographic forecasting
- Legal instruments governing capacity, representation and inheritance
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise people classified as older adults in a stated context, understand their circumstances and preferences, and identify appropriate support without treating age as evidence of incapacity.
Distinguishing features Filled
- The subject is a living human individual or explicitly defined group classified by older age in a stated context, rather than a species or biological taxon.
- Classification records the applicable age convention and reference date; appearance, retirement or residence in a care facility alone does not establish membership.
- Older-age classification is recorded separately from disability, frailty, illness, dependence and decision-making capacity.
- An individual assessment is distinguished from an aggregate description; group-level patterns do not establish an individual person's abilities or preferences.
- A person's preferred terminology is distinguished from administrative labels such as elderly, older adult or senior.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Treat older people as incapable or dependent because of their age alone.
- Use urgency, fear or confusion to pressure an older person into payments or decisions.
- Share an older person's health, financial or location data with relatives or others without consent or legal basis.
- Monitor an older person covertly, even at a relative's request.
Only with a human decision
- Acting on suspected abuse, neglect or financial exploitation of an older person.
- Decisions about a person's capacity, care or living arrangements.
May
- Adapt pace, text size and presentation for older users who ask for it.
- Help older people reach services, information and support they request.
Moral aspects Filled
- Ageism denies older people respect and fair access to work, health care and services.
- Older people are frequent targets of scams and financial abuse.
Who is affected
- Older people
- Carers and families
- Care workers
Owners Filled
Steward
Each older person is their own steward; carers and authorities act only within their legal role.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q215627 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.elderly-people
- Wikidata: Q2191986 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2191986)
Direct properties required Filled
- Chronological age: Years at a recorded reference date, with precision and evidence status
- Older-age classification: Meets criterion | does not meet criterion | undetermined; include criterion, context and issuing authority
- Subject level: Individual | defined population
- Preferred age-related terminology: Person-stated term | no preference | not recorded
- Everyday activity performance: Per activity: performed without assistance | with equipment | with personal assistance | not performed | unknown; include environment and date
- Communication and accessibility preferences: Person-specific language, format, sensory access, pacing and technology requirements
- Decision-specific wishes and permissions: Recorded wishes, consent scope, communication support and review date
- Support network: Links to chosen contacts, informal supporters and professional services, with roles and availability
- Living arrangement: Alone | with others | supported housing | residential care | other | unknown; include person-reported suitability
- Later-life transition: Person-identified transition, timing, effects and desired support
Recognition not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Appearance cannot reliably establish chronological age or membership in a context-defined older adult category.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Apply an explicitly sourced older-age criterion and explain uncertainty in classification.
- Ask the person about priorities, preferred terminology and acceptable assistance using accessible communication.
- Record task-specific abilities and environmental barriers to identify requested accommodations.
- Match expressed needs to services whose eligibility and availability have been verified.
- Coordinate authorised support and information sharing with the person's chosen contacts.
- Review support after relevant changes and flag unmet needs for an appropriate human response.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Scams and financial exploitation that target older people.
- Social isolation and neglect, especially for people living alone.
- Falls and heat or cold stress that are more dangerous in later life.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- United Nations Principles for Older Persons, UN General Assembly.
Context of use required Filled
- Older adults are encountered across everyday community life, employment, healthcare and social services.
- Age groupings are used in demographic analysis, service planning and eligibility systems, with boundaries that depend on the stated context.
- Support decisions require attention to individual abilities, circumstances and preferences.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q2191986: elderly people - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Elderly people - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does an existing Vercy person, older-adult or life-stage world model already cover this concept and require linking rather than a separate publication?
- Which operational age definitions should this registry recognise, and how should it represent disagreement between administrative classification and self-identification?
- Which validated functional and participation measures are suitable for the intended languages, cultures and settings, and what restrictions apply to their use?
- Which jurisdiction-specific sources establish current consent, representation, safeguarding and age-related service eligibility requirements?
- What minimum information and review intervals are sufficient for useful support without collecting unnecessary sensitive personal details?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q2191986/spec.json