Elder

An elder is the last Life stage in The Sims 2, The Sims Stories (Except Pet Stories) and The Sims 3.

The Sims
In The Sims, elder does not exist as a separate life stage, as Sims in this game never age. There are head and body skins which can give a Sim the appearance of being elderly, but it will be no more than an appearance. This means that female Sims who appear elderly in the game, such as Cornelia Goth and Ginia Kat, can still have children.

The Sims 2 and The Sims Stories
Elder is the final life stage in The Sims 2. Sims will have grey hair (though custom hair for elders may not be gray) and a hunched back during this stage. At the end of elderhood, the Sims dies of old age. It's the only age from the base game that doesn't have a fixed duration. The number of days an elder gets theoretically depends on where the Sim's aspiration bar is when that Sim ages. In general, the higher it is, the longer he or she will live, but there is a random element involved as well. Sims will generally live to be about 70 days old, but getting the Perma-platinum mood may increase it to about 80 days. Elders do not have many special interactions, but a notable feature is that if two elders are married as Adults, they can throw a golden anniversary party. Elder female Sims cannot get pregnant, but elder male Sims can still impregnate adult female Sims. Sims who have jobs when they become elders can keep those jobs, or they can retire and live off a pension. (Since retirement can be a major want, it's recommended that they retire.) A retired Sim's weekly pension will be half the weekly salary of the job he or she retired from, and the Sim will receive one-seventh of that each day. A retired Sim who takes a part-time job will keep his or her pension; the part-time job will be shown in a second tab on the job panel. Elder Sims with part-time jobs cannot retire from those jobs. If an elder lives a good life (when their aspiration bar turns platinum), their grave will turn golden.

Elders are not included in The Sims Pet Stories.

Examples of Elders in The Sims 2

The Sims 2 (console version)
As in The Sims and The Sims Console verions, elders in the console version of The Sims 2 do not exist. But in CAS, a Sim can be given white/grey hair with old-looking skin. Sims like Patrizio Monty and Isabella Monty look like elders, but are still technically adults (since you can change their looks and make them "younger").

The Sims 3 and The Sims 3 (console)


Elder is a life stage featured in The Sims 3. It is the final life stage.

In The Sims 3, Elder is the last life stage before Death. Sims have gray hair, but they can color it if the player so chooses. Women can no longer give birth to children, but men can still impregnate adult and young adult women. Elders can still adopt Children. How long this life stage lasts depends on how long the player set his Sim's life. At the default lifespan of 90 days, Elder Sims will live to be at least 90 days or older. Elder Sims with the Vegetarian trait live slightly longer than other Sims. A Sim's life can also be lengthened by completing the Marathon Runner challenge as part of the Athletic skill or eating Ambrosia. At the end of this life stage, Sims die of old age. Elders have 5 traits. The next life stage is Death.

Elder Sims are slightly hunched over and complete tasks slower than other Sims. Instead of having a bar on the Simology panel that indicates how many days left until they age, the bar states how many days the Sim has lived. Elder Sims are 72 days old when they first become an elder.

Unlike The Sims 2 and The Sims Stories, Elders can now have Full-Time Jobs and have 10 levels.

Retirement lets Sims enjoy the time they have left without paying attention to workdays. This option, however, can bring financial disadvantages. A Sim who is at level 10 in the political career will earn about §582 per hour, working three days a week as an elder. With working hours of 9:00 am to 1:30 pm, he or she would bring home §2619 every workday, which is much larger than the §280 per day that would be received after retirement. In this case, much more money was earned by working only 3 days per week, so retirement may not always be the best choice, depending on the player's opinion.

If a Sim who has retired gets another job, he or she cannot retire again.

If an Elder Sim lives in a house with young children and teens, they will be relocated to other houses before the Elder's imminent death.

In Generations, an Elder Sim can use walking canes. There are 3 in total and two types of walking: the Geriatric Gait and the Southern Gentlemen.

Things that Elders can do that younger Sims can't:
 * Retire
 * Die of Old Age
 * Female Sims cannot get pregnant, but male Sims can still impregnate young adult and adult females.
 * Write a historical book.

Trivia

 * In The Sims 2 and The Sims Stories, Elders could not be made all by themselves in CAS which states an Adult is required. This was fixed in The Sims 3 and The Sims 3 (console) where an Elder may be made all by themselves without an Adult.
 * Every Windows and Mac OS X Spin-off removed the Elder Life Stage.