First of all, don't shoot the messenger, I only posted the article, I did not write it! I post all kinds of things related to parrots but it doesn't mean I agree with all the premises on them. I am a senior too and I have parrots but an article like this one is like a law in a way, it's meant for the percentage of people who will not do well on their own. When it comes to seniors, it's not only that even a cockatiel will outlive most of them, it's a lot of things... It is health, as Dana stated, thin skin, blood thinners, etc. It is the physical capacity to keep up with the cleaning, I can't scrub their cages any longer because of my hands, my husband has to do it. It's the fact that seniors tend to be set in their ways and reluctant to change their habits and, when it comes to birds, you can't afford to have a rigid mind, you need to be VERY open-minded and to do research all the time [something that most seniors don't do - geez, A LOT of them can't even use the internet properly or even an IPhone -and this last one goes for me!
]. And I think that the last one is the one that worries me the most about old people getting birds. I am an old person and I was taught all the wrong things about how to keep a bird properly. It was 'put it in a cage, give it water, seeds and an occasional piece of apple and lettuce' and call it a day! Old people don't really eat well (and I will be the first one to admit that I am one of those!], they tend to have very low incomes and trouble learning and adapting as well as a very short life expectancy - all things that are detrimental to a parrot proper care.
Personally, I think that old people should not get any young animals - not puppies, not kittens and, most definitely, NOT a baby bird - but I would have no problem with an old person who is still mentally sharp, physically active, with a relatively good income AND a safety 'human help' net adopting an older animal.