Age Is Not A Disease
I recently took my dog in for knee surgery. Given she’s getting to be an older gal and the recovery can be a bit lengthy, I was a bit hesitant and wanted to ensure she would be able to enjoy the benefits of the procedure. Though I already knew the chances of getting a full return of function were very high, I asked the surgeon if it was appropriate to do this at her age. He responded rather matter of factly “age is not a disease.” Indicating she can’t walk now but she may live a few more years -why not give her the best chance to enjoy them? I realized that was a good reminder for us all. As we advance in our years, our time may become more limited, but if we’re healthy, who’s to say we should limit ourselves and accept less than our optimal potential? Though age may be a factor when it comes to our healing times and how quickly we bounce back, it certainly isn’t the only variable to consider.
While we may be getting older, that doesn’t mean there’s something wrong - and we shouldn’t expect it to come with a progressive steady decline and loss of function. Have you ever noticed that the most young at heart “old folks” also seem to have the youngest bodies compared to their peers? Do you think their bodies are young and that’s why they can be young at heart, or could perhaps the reverse be true in most cases? Sometimes we do tend to rack up a few more medical conditions over the years, but sometimes one of the reasons for that is we stop doing things because we think we’re too old! We also stop doing things we love because we just can’t do them anymore, but because we view age as a lost cause, we don’t bother to investigate if there is something that can be done that would allow us to have our “old” selves back!
Sometimes there’s a perception that what we do or don’t do doesn’t matter because we’re “getting old anyways”. No need to worry about diet and exercise or socialization. But all that serves to do is accelerate the aging process - rather than put the brakes on decline. Don’t let yourself off the hook and say “oh no, I’m too old for that!” If you’re in good health, you’re probably not “too old” for much of anything! It might need to look a bit different, you might need a longer preparation period for example, but you can still do it if you set your mind to it! Yes, you can go out on the town with your friends after 6pm if you want to, just like you can explore areas of the world that are still on your bucket list. Rather than avoiding things just because you feel you’re too old, spend your energy on figuring out how to do the things you want to do - even if you might have to modify them or have helpers on hand. Getting old is not a disease, it’s a natural part of life and the golden years can be the best time!
So what’s the problem with viewing aging as a disease? We end up either "over treating”, that is intervening when we should leave well enough alone, or we “under treat” - because age has set up an invisible barrier and we don’t feel the treatment is “worth it”. This can be true from both the perspective of both the patient and their healthcare providers. As we know, our perceptions have a lot to do with how our body feels. Long story short, if you think you’re old and broken, pretty soon your body is going to act old and broken. If we think we have this incurable disease of aging, we may not bother with interventions that could be life changing because we think we’re already a lost cause. As healthcare providers, when we see a high number in the age category on a chart, we too can have a tendency to either want to intervene when maybe we don’t need to, or we are hesitant to intervene when we should. It’s important to always pay less attention to the age on the page and more attention to the person in front of us.
If we change our view, we may just find that wellness strategies such as eating well, sleeping and resting when needed, socializing, and exercising to our ability are all that’s needed. And just like my dog, if we do need treatment, we shouldn’t let age be the barrier to going for it. You never know, you might have longer than you think on the planet so may as well be feeling as best you can!
Pace yourself when you need to as our physiology certainly goes through various changes with advancing age, but also don’t put a stop to everything either. Do as much as you can for as long as you can and you’ll see, just like the energizer bunny you might just keep going and going. Sit around and think you’re too old to do the things you love and guess what? Soon you will be. So rather than dread aging, do what you can to stay healthy and always give yourself the best chance at living to your full potential. Don’t let that number be the reason you expect less and sell yourself short!