Good for the elderly
Women of a certain age suffer from major health inequalities, have fewer human rights, and have less financial stability, with less resources and assets to afford a decent quality of living in later life.
According to the National Council on Aging, around 92 percent of seniors suffer from at least one chronic condition, with 77 percent suffering from two or more chronic diseases. Heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes are among the most frequent and expensive chronic health problems, accounting for more than two-thirds of all fatalities each year in the United States and Canada.
The avoidance of physical infirmity and the extension of ‘active life expectancy’ are the two most significant challenges we face as we get older. Unfortunately, new research suggests that healthy (or ‘productive’) ageing is possible, provided that proper preparation for old age is undertaken.
Women’s midlife, defined as the era of their lives between the ages of younger and older adulthood, has been described as a period of change in their lives. Women between the ages of 40 and 65 have been the primary focus of midlife research, which has revealed that they go through a number of social, psychological, and biological transformations.
As we get older, the volume of our brains decreases, notably in the frontal cortex. As our vasculature ages and our blood pressure rises, the likelihood of having a stroke or suffering from ischaemia increases, and lesions in our white matter develop. Memory deterioration happens as a result of aging, and brain activity for memory tasks becomes more bilateral as one gets older.
One significant issue is the presence of frailty itself, while others come as a result of the wide range of medical diseases that are prevalent in this group. A complicated combination of health problems, a range of medications, as well as mobility and handicap challenges, are routinely faced by frail older individuals in their daily lives.
And what about the people in the United States, I inquired? When do we start to feel our age? For women, the old age barrier is around 73 years old; for men, it is approximately 70 years old.
As a matter of historical precedent, the United Nations has classified a ″older″ person as someone who is 60 years or older, regardless of that person’s specific history or where they live in the globe. ‘Everyone grew elderly at the age of 60,’ says Petrow.
The elderly have traditionally been defined as those who have reached the age of 65 or older. People between the ages of 65 and 74 are typically referred to as early elderly, while those above the age of 75 are referred to as late elderly.