I pretty much always think they are 'smarter' than me.
The only issue I've had with older folks is that they often say 'not my job'.
Which, from my experience, is not a bad thing. It's often a sign of someone who recognizes that meeting everyones else's expectations at the cost of their job expectations is short sighted and the equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot.
And rarely does anyone have enough time to even meet their personal job expectations.
There are those whom are just lazy and only want to contribute the least amount possible, but I think you'll find that's not limited to older folks.