Following Okamoto and Robinson, two studies extended the study of politeness in context to a consideration of how older individuals respond to advice delivered in a patronizing (impolite) or affirming (polite) manner. Study 1 involved older persons in focus groups that considered contexts for, perceptions of, and responses to patronizing advice. Study 2 collected oral responses from other older individuals in a 2 (advice style: patronizing/affirming X 2 (context: community/hospital) design. Together, the studies showed that participants perceived at least 5 ways of responding to patronizing advice (appreciative, assertive, passive, ignoring, condescending) that vary from highly polite (appreciative) to polite to impolite (condescending). Results from Study 2 supported the hypothesis that evaluations of advice and responses would show that the hospital context legitimates a patronizing advice style, consistent with the general framework of Politeness Theory. Other results reinforced the complexity and challenges of using the theory to interpret behaviors in context.