You might think that some changes, like memory loss, are inevitable as the years roll by. And that can be true – but serious conditions like dementia, though more common among older people, are not an ordinary part of healthy ageing.
In general, Dominic Greenyer, a private GP at The Health Suite, told HuffPost UK: “Ageing naturally brings some change. People may notice a modest reduction in muscle mass, bone density, cardiovascular fitness, hearing, vision or the speed at which they process information.
“However, severe or rapidly progressing decline should not automatically be dismissed as an inevitable part of getting older.”
Sometimes, people call non-standard deterioration “pathological ageing”. Here, we asked the GP to explain what the term means, as well as the signs you may be experiencing one or the other.
English (US)