snowy

Age is an interesting concept. I am a student in human development, and am taking adult development and aging this term as part of my degree program.

There are different components to age, given that chronological age alone is often not enough to give us a picture of someone's age: functional age, chronological age, biological age, psychological age, and social age. Functional age looks at a person's ability to draw on multiple abilities in order to function and be self-sufficient. Chronological age is the number of years that have elapsed since the person's birth. Biological age is an estimate of the person's position within their potential life span. Psychological age refers to a person's ability to adapt to changing environmental demands. "Young" minds are more flexible than "old" minds, in terms of psychological age. Social age refers to the social roles people hold for themselves and those that people impose upon them--i.e. motherhood; regardless of her chronological age, her social age is motherhood.

So it's really more complicated than it looks at first blush, but then most things involving human development are. I try not to think of people as old or elderly, because oftentimes the people themselves don't think of themselves as being old or elderly. Aging, perhaps.

I think one of the ideas you are trying to get at, woods, is the concept of frailty. There is no good definition for what frailty is; rather, it is more or less the sum of various age-related problems. Sarcopenia is the inevitable, age-related atrophy of skeletal muscles, and it contributes considerably to frailty. Osteoporosis contributes to frailty too, as does the loss of the senses.

Thanks to modern medicine, increased nutrition, and knowledge of the benefits of physical activity (even in older folks), we now possess the ability to stave off frailty. This is a tremendous gain. For example, one of my SO's grandmothers would be considered frail. She started having some health problems a few years ago now that kept her from staying active; even after these health problems were resolved, she remained inactive, and became frail. The other, only a few years younger, is much more active, and won't let anything--even a knee replacement--keep her from being active. The difference between the two is striking. I would consider one "old", but not the other, despite the fact that they're not that different in chronological age.

The ultimate lessons? STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE. Go beyond cardio. Sure, it's great for your heart to be healthy, but the other two big components of frailty are sarcopenia (loss of muscle) and osteoporosis (loss of bone density), both of which are prevented with resistance exercise. It's also good for your brain. STAY MENTALLY ACTIVE. Keep reading, doing puzzles, whatever it takes to keep your brain sharp and involved, as well as flexible. STAY SOCIALLY ACTIVE. This is a good thing for a variety of reasons.

So what is 'old'? Good question.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau