FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Hoosiers are getting older and that means our definition of what a “middle age” is is changing.

A new study from Stony Brook University in New York and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria says that age 60 is the new “middle age”.

Dr. Phil Stafford heads the Center on Aging and Community at Indiana University in Bloomington. He says the study is fair and accurate based on population changes, longer life spans, and advances in medicine. He also defines late middle age as a period of 20 to 25 years when people are robust, vital, and interested in contributing to their communities while also avoiding health problems.

He cautions that chronological age isn't the best basis for establish public policy, however. He also says that age is just a number for a lot of people.