Every day I see older adults, with and without Parkinson's disease, that have been told a narrative that their functional decline is due to age. They can't walk up stairs, they can't get up from a low toilet, they can't get up from the floor all because they are older. I would like to spend some time sharing the research around aging and how powerful our bodies are. I am going to convince you that just because we are all getting older does NOT mean our function needs to decline. Buckle up.
To set the tone, take a look at these incredible people destroying societies view on aging.
100yr old and 102 yr old runners break world record
Parkinson's and CrossFit as an older adult
With every patient who is an older adult I see, there is always the same underlying tone. They feel limited due to their age.
Positive stereotypes or views around aging have been shown to drastically change someone'e health. In fact, positive stereotypes around aging have lead to...
50% less likely to develop dementia
44% more likely to recover from disability
Living 7.5 years longer
Sure, there are natural changes that happen with aging. Our blood pressure increases, our heart can't work as hard, our immune system isn't as strong, our muscles get smaller... you get the picture. Even though there are natural changes that might make you think function naturally declines with age, our bodies are so resilient that we can fight those age related changes. For example, when comparing muscle changes in older adults and younger adults it has been proven that muscle changes are very small in trained older adults (older adults who regularly exercise). In fact, it has been suggested that trained older adults can be compared to non-trained younger adults! That means the size and make up of muscles in trained older adults is virtually the same as younger adults who do not exercise. Several studies also show that muscles in older adults who are untrained will show significant strength gains and an increase in muscle size following a period of appropriately dosed exercise.
I would argue that the real influence on function in older adults (without Parkinson's) boils down to strength. Those with diagnosable muscle weakness used 2.5x more healthcare dollars than those without diagnosable muscle weakness. Muscle weakness is associated with $325 billion per year in excess healthcare costs in the United States. Of course, having Parkinson's brings very unique challenges to every person touched by it, and the longer (older) you have had PD generally means your symptoms are more impactful to your day to day life. However, age should not be a scapegoat for our function. Our bodies have the power to change and improve with each decade of life.
Sources:
https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/55/7/B336/2948070
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