It is everyone’s dream to grow old gracefully, to be playing golf or tennis deep into the nineties and to be in possession of all faculties, both mental and physical, right up until the very end. Sadly, though this tends not to be the case. Worse still, as medical advances continue apace, life expectancy is increasing annually, meaning that there are more and more people making it to the big three figures. While it is a great milestone to achieve and one that many people probably hope and dream about reaching, aging comes with consequences that are often unavoidable. Here are a few things that you should expect to encounter along the journey to old-age.

Grotty joints

Wear and tear are very real, and it probably goes without saying that the more something is used the more it degrades. Knees and hips are particularly prone to this type of deterioration given that they carry the brunt of the impact when people walk or run. If you have led a very active lifestyle as a younger person, playing a lot of contact sport or running you may well discover that there is a need for drastic surgery. If for instance you need a total hip replacement Melbourne is a great place to do it. But do it as early as possible. As much as there have been great advancements in surgery, recovering from such a major operation takes its toll, and it is something that is easier to recover from in your 70s rather than your 90s.

Mental failings

Alzheimer’s and dementia are cruel afflictions. In short, they rob you of your personality. Your memory evaporates, and you regress quickly, unable to communicate or remember anything. It can get to a point where you don’t recognize your children or spouse and where you are so far gone mentally that you are reduced to wearing adult diapers because you have lost all bowel and bladder control. It is a terrible thing as people who suffer from these conditions are often physically strong and capable.

Your senses

Hearing and vision are two senses that get noticeably worse as you get older. There are almost no people on eth wrong side of 70 who don’t wear some type reading spectacles, and while there are fewer people with hearing aids, that is not to say that there are fewer people whose hearing is not as good as it once was. There is a general expectation that eyes are regularly tested, but for some reason people are reticent to get their ears tested. It is almost like there is shame associated with not being able to hear – which is quite foolish. If you find yourself sitting in a room full of talking people but you are not able to participate in the conversation, then you may be suffering from hearing loss. In the same way that spectacles provide an almost instant improvement to your quality of life, so too will a hearing aid act as a game changer – don’t be shy to look at this as an option.