7 compliments people in their 60s and 70s deserve to hear more often

When I visited my dad after his heart attack at 68, I watched as nurse after nurse came in to check on him. Each one commented on his vital signs, his medication schedule, his recovery progress. All necessary, of course. But it wasn't until a young orderly stopped by and said, "Your stories about building bridges in the 70s are fascinating. You must have seen the whole city transform," that I saw my father truly light up for the first time since his surgery.

That moment stuck with me. Here was a man who'd spent decades as an engineer, shaping skylines and solving complex problems, and what made him beam wasn't praise for his current recovery efforts but recognition of the life he'd lived and the wisdom he'd accumulated.

Too often, we default to surface-level pleasantries with older adults. We comment on their appearance, their health, or worse, we talk over them as if they're not there. But people in their 60s and 70s have lived through historical moments, built careers, raised families, and gathered insights that deserve genuine acknowledgment.

If you have someone special in your life who's reached these milestone decades, here are seven compliments they deserve to hear more often.

1. Your perspective on this really helps me see things differently

How often do we actually ask older adults for their genuine opinion on current events, relationship challenges, or career decisions? And when we do, how often do we truly listen?

People in their 60s and 70s have watched the world change in ways younger generations can only read about. They've navigated recessions, social movements, technological revolutions. Their perspective isn't just valuable because it's different; it's valuable because it's informed by decades of pattern recognition.

When I was helping my parents downsize their home, I found myself complaining about the housing market. My mother, ever the retired teacher, listened patiently before sharing her experience of buying their first home with interest rates at 18%. Suddenly, my 6% rate didn't seem so catastrophic. But more importantly, her story helped me understand that financial challenges aren't new or unique to my generation.

Tell the older adults in your life that their perspective matters. Better yet, seek it out actively. Their wisdom didn't expire when they turned 60.

2. You've adapted to so much change with such grace

Think about it: someone who's 70 today was born in the 1950s. They've gone from rotary phones to smartphones, from typewriters to AI, from sending letters to video calling grandchildren across the globe.

Yet we rarely acknowledge this incredible adaptability. Instead, we make jokes about grandma not understanding Facebook or dad struggling with his new phone. But consider the mental flexibility required to continuously learn new systems, new social norms, new ways of existing in the world.

My father, the engineer who preferred blueprints to bytes, learned to use video calling during the pandemic to stay connected with us. Was it seamless? No. Did he occasionally call my ear or forehead instead of my face? Absolutely. But he persisted, adapting once again to a world that keeps reinventing itself.

Recognizing this adaptability isn't patronizing; it's acknowledging a strength that many younger people take for granted.

3. Your life story is genuinely fascinating

When was the last time you asked someone over 60 to tell you about their twenties? Or their first job? Or the most rebellious thing they did as a teenager?

We tend to see older adults as they are now, forgetting they've lived entire lifetimes full of adventures, heartbreaks, triumphs, and wild stories. Every person in their 60s and 70s is a walking library of experiences, but we rarely check out the books.

During one particularly long wait at the hospital while my mother was having surgery, I asked my father about his college years. Two hours flew by as he recounted sneaking into concerts, organizing campus protests, and yes, even getting arrested once for a prank involving the dean's car. This was my straight-laced, rule-following father?

People love sharing their stories when they know someone genuinely wants to hear them. And trust me, these stories are often far more interesting than anything on Netflix.

4. You're still learning and growing, and that's inspiring

Ageism often manifests in the assumption that people stop developing after a certain age. We act like personal growth has an expiration date, usually somewhere around 50.

But people in their 60s and 70s are often in their most reflective and growth-oriented phase. They're reading, taking classes, developing new hobbies, working through old patterns, having breakthrough conversations with therapists or family members.

My parents recently started having open conversations about mental health, something their generation typically avoided. Watching my 70-year-old mother acknowledge anxiety she'd carried for decades and seek help for it? That takes more courage than any young person signing up for therapy in our destigmatized era.

Acknowledge when you see older adults pushing their comfort zones, learning new skills, or working on themselves. Growth at any age deserves recognition, but growth that goes against generational conditioning deserves a standing ovation.

5. Your resilience through everything you've faced is remarkable

By the time someone reaches their 60s or 70s, they've likely weathered significant storms. Lost jobs, lost loves, lost parents, lost friends. They've survived economic crashes, health scares, family crises, and personal disappointments that would flatten many of us.

Yet here they are, still showing up, still caring, still contributing. That's not just survival; that's resilience of the highest order.

When I became my mother's caregiver during her recovery, I watched her navigate pain, frustration, and temporary loss of independence with a determination that humbled me. She'd joke about her "bionic parts" and set daily goals that pushed her limits just enough. Where did this strength come from? A lifetime of practice facing challenges and choosing to continue.

Tell them you see their strength. Tell them their resilience inspires you. Because it should.

6. The way you've maintained and nurtured relationships is beautiful

In our era of ghosting and disposable connections, people in their 60s and 70s often have friendships spanning four or five decades. They've maintained marriages through seasons that would end most modern relationships. They've figured out how to forgive, how to show up, how to stay connected despite life's pulls in different directions.

This isn't about romanticizing the past or suggesting all long relationships are healthy. But there's something to learn from people who've figured out how to maintain connections across time, distance, and change.

Acknowledge this skill. It's not luck that keeps friendships alive for 40 years; it's intentional effort, emotional intelligence, and a commitment that deserves recognition.

7. You're valuable exactly as you are right now

Perhaps the most important compliment isn't about what they've done or what they know, but who they are in this moment. Our youth-obsessed culture often treats aging like a slow disappearing act, as if people become less valuable with each passing year.

But people in their 60s and 70s aren't valuable because of their past contributions or their accumulated wisdom. They're valuable because they're human beings with current thoughts, feelings, dreams, and contributions to make.

They're not "still" anything. They simply are. Whole, complete, and worthy of respect in their present form.

Final thoughts

Next time you're with someone in their 60s or 70s, resist the urge to default to comments about their appearance or health. Instead, recognize the full human being in front of you. Someone who's adapted to massive change, accumulated fascinating stories, developed deep resilience, and continues to grow and contribute.

These aren't participation trophy compliments or patronizing pats on the head. These are genuine acknowledgments of remarkable human experiences and capabilities that we too often overlook.

And here's a secret: giving these compliments won't just brighten their day. It might just change your perspective on what it means to age, what it means to live a full life, and what treasures exist in the people we too often dismiss as "just old."