Originally Posted by
NOS88
From a training manual I co-authored in 2009:
Old age is not a disease. Decline in function is the normal process of aging — not illness. While this process is inevitable, it does not mean that it will prevent the older person from leading a healthy, productive life. However, when the older person is confronted with a disease or health disorder the following can be identified:
• The symptoms may differ from a younger person,
• It is more likely to be a chronic disorder,
• Treatment may differ,
• The recovery process may be slower, and
• The person is more likely to need assistance with activities of daily living during this process.
There are some diseases which occur almost exclusively in the older person just as there are some which occur mostly among the young or only in certain ethnic or racial groups. This "statistical" description of the older person and illness is only that, and no individual's ability to fight illness will necessarily fit that description.
What's your working definition of "older person?" Obviously everyone is older than someone else.
I get confused by terms such as "elderly," "senior," or as they are doing around here, "aging older adult." They really have no meaning to the average reader.
What is wrong with saying - "folks who are 65 and older" - or 75 - or 85, etc. That takes away the marked gray areas. Or, perhaps, a functional definition, as in disability definitions under the ADA?