Myths about older people, old age, ageing and ageism.

Lets get rid of the myths now! We are all living longer now.  The average age reached now for men is 85 years and for women 87 years.  However, I regularly see patients and relatives coming into my medical practice who are in their mid-90s. The average life expectancy of a person born today is 94 for an Australian female and 93 for an Australian male, and 50% are expected to live beyond these ages!

A healthy older person even in their 90’s -

·       Has unlimited exercise tolerance. 

·       Can walk up hills and upstairs briskly. 

·       Does not fall.

·       Does not get breathless.

·       Does not get chest pain.  

·       Does not get confused.

·      Does not slow down in movements to the point where it is affecting their day-to-day function.

These are the common myths about ageing.

Unfortunately there is an endemic, rigid, systemic, inflexible, irremovable belief in society that old age is associated with disease, disability and suffering.  I was even taught this negative perception about the elderly when I was in primary school. Childrens’ books illustrating older people greater than 65 years were showing older people as flexed over in posture with a walking stick (this may mean that they have neurological impairment with Parkinson’s disease), they had lines around their hands suggesting tremor which is a neurological disease not normal ageing, and they were painted in a pale colour to suggest anaemia which is a disease.  The message that came from these negative illustrations was that old age means disease, suffering and disability.  These perceptions unfortunately persist today.  I see this negative attitude in my daily geriatric medical practice.  Patients and their younger relatives are equally surprised when I demonstrate the normal walking pattern, speed and balance of a 90 year old which is a very brisk and steady gait. 

Patients and relatives are also surprised by the following:

• That memory and brain function do not significantly deteriorate with age to the point they cause impairments in day-to-day function.

• Falls, confusion, incontinence and chronic pain are not a normal part of growing old.

Older people should be able to function just as effectively as a younger person.

Yes older people just like younger people should be able to use common sites on the internet such as facebook, youtube, amazon, google, yahoo, instagram, twitter and ebay.

For more information read Dr Peter Lipski’s book “Your Elderly Parents Failing Health. Is It Ageing Or A Treatable Condition”.