Frailty is a common condition at an older age, but different definitions of frailty lead to different assessments of prevalence. One study estimated the incidence of frailty among those aged 65 and over at 10.7%. [125] Another study estimated the incidence of frailty in the population aged 65 and over at 22% for women and 15% for men. [126]:106 A Canadian study showed how frailty increases with age and calculated prevalence for those aged 65 and over at 22.4% and for those aged 85 and over at 43.7%. [127] A group of geriatricians proposed a general definition of frailty as “a physical state of increased susceptibility to stressors[123] resulting from decreased reserves and deregulation[124] in several physiological systems.” [122]:20 Age has a double definition. It is the final stage of an individual`s life processes, and it is an age group or generation that includes a segment of the oldest members of a population. The social aspects of old age are influenced by the relationship between the physiological effects of ageing and the collective experiences and shared values of this generation to the particular organization of the society in which it exists. Western literature arbitrarily defines age as people over the age of 65 (Oxford Manual on Geriatric Medicine, Wikipedia, etc.). Few authors further divide age into young (65-74), old (75-84) and old (85 and over). This would make our reigning monarch “old-old” and the next in the order of succession to the throne and our boss old (not sure he wants to be called old…). And definitions of age vary in different parts of the world. For African countries, the United Nations sets the age of 60 and over and the WHO defines 50+ as old. Dictionaries define age as a later part of normal life, without defining numbers.
In general, a person over the age of 65 can be considered an elderly person. However, it is not easy to apply a strict definition because people can age biologically at different rates, so that, for example, a 75-year-old may be healthier than a 60-year-old. Rather than simply aging, “frailty” has a greater impact on their likelihood of needing care and support. Age includes “the last part of life; the phase of life after adolescence and middle age, usually with reference to deterioration.” [8] The age at which age begins cannot be defined in general, as it varies depending on the context. The United Nations has agreed that the 65+ years can generally be called age[9], and this is the first attempt at an international definition of age. However, for its study of age in Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) has set the beginning of age at 55. At the same time, WHO has recognized that developing countries often define age not by years, but by new roles, loss of previous roles, or inability to actively contribute to society. [10] Most developed Western countries set the retirement age at 60 to 65. The age of 60 to 65 is usually a prerequisite for eligibility for social programs for seniors.
[11] However, various countries and societies consider that the beginning of old age is somewhere between the mid-40s and the 70s. [12] Definitions of age continue to change, especially as life expectancy in developed countries has risen to over 80 years. [13] In October 2016, a paper published in the journal Nature presented the conclusion that the maximum life expectancy of humans is an average age of 115 years with an absolute upper limit of 125 years. [14] However, the authors` methods and conclusions were criticized by the scientific community, which concluded that the study was flawed. [15] An important factor in the social aspects of old age concerns the values and education of the generation itself. Especially in developed countries, where change is happening faster than in agrarian societies, a generation born 65 years ago can see that the customs, expectations, definitions of quality of life and roles of older people have changed significantly with old age. Formal education, which usually takes place in the early years and forms collective opinions and customs, tends to exacerbate difficulties in adapting to old age. However, resistance to change, often associated with older adults, turns out to be less of an inability to change than a tendency in older people to look at life with a tolerant attitude. Apparent passivity may actually be a choice based on experience that has taught older adults to perceive certain aspects of life as immutable.
Adult education programmes are beginning to bridge the generation gap; However, when each subsequent generation reaches old age and brings with it its particular prejudices and preferences, new problems arise that require new social adjustments. Age definitions include official definitions, subgroup definitions, and four dimensions as follows. Whether population aging is measured by chronological age or by expected age, in absolute terms, there will be more seniors in the future who will likely need health care and social services. And while health at a certain chronological age seems to have improved over time, we don`t know if this will continue and, if so, how fast. But health changes after the expected age (how much time do you have left to live) have decreased in some cases and improved in others. Fragile people need a high level of care. Advances in medicine have made it possible to “postpone” death for years. This extra time costs many frail people “persistent illness, addiction, pain and suffering.” [122]:9 For chronological age, the limitation of long-term illness improved between each temporal couple and the general state of health improved in almost all cases. For prospective age groups, overall health improved in just over half of the cases and worsened in just under half, while the limitation of long-term illness improved in just under three-quarters of the cases.
The mean changes in both health measures were smaller for prospective age than for chronological age (Table 3). “Olympians didn`t like the elderly.” Their youth rebelled against the elderly, expelled them or killed them. [99]:44 Family relationships tend to be the focus of attention of older adults. However, as the family structure in developed countries has changed over the past 100 years from a generational unit living close to autonomous nuclear families of single parents and young children, the elderly have isolated themselves from the young and each other. Studies have shown that an aging person prefers to stay in the same area. However, the tendency of young people in developed countries to be highly mobile has forced older people to decide whether to move to support their families or stay in neighbourhoods that are also changing and changing their activity habits. Although most older people live less than an hour after their next child, industrial societies are faced with formulating programs to accommodate more and more older people who function independently of their families. Key Concepts in Social Gerontology lists four dimensions: chronological, biological, psychological and social. [24]:12-3 Wattis and Curran add a fifth dimension: development. [25] Chronological age can differ significantly from a person`s functional age.
Age-distinctive characteristics typically occur in all five meanings at different times and at different rates for different individuals. [26] In addition to chronological age, individuals may be considered elderly because of other dimensions of age. For example, people may be considered elderly when they become grandparents or when they do less or different work in retirement. [9] “What we don`t see is that this period is getting shorter. Previous research has shown that certain aspects of health are more closely related to the remaining years of life than to the years lived (chronological age).
