A new study out of Australia has found that nearly half of people in their forties are showing signs of frailty traditionally associated with old age as the UK Daily Mail reports.
Nearly half of people in their forties show as many symptoms that could lead to frailty as people in their seventies, a new study reveals.
Australian scientists found signs of ‘pre-frailty’ in 45 per cent of people in their forties, which was about the same percentage of people aged between 70 and 75.
Signs of pre-frailty include poor lower limb strength, poor balance, poor foot sensation, pelvic floor problems and bad nutrition.
Frailty describes a condition of becoming weaker and more delicate, generally associated with older age, which can be a result of ‘pre-frailty’.
It incorporates a decline in general health, energy levels and cognition – all of which can all lead to increased susceptibility to further illness and hospital admissions. (source)
People in their forties currently are members of the younger bloc of Generation X.
It is going to be interesting to see at the same age what is said about the next group to reach this stage of life, which are the Millennials.
The Millennials have been mistreated and have been mistreating themselves for a long time. The former has been stress from being unable to pay bills, form households, and meet other major life milestones for societies throughout history, and the latter is often in the form of coping behaviors such as alcohol, drugs, and pornography as well as poor eating habits.
It has been noted that the Millennials are much less healthy than the Boomers, that they are expected to have notably much younger mortality rates than the Boomers did, and they are also going to experience more health problems with less abilities to treat them. Whereas the Boomers could find treatment, the Millennials may be forced to life with chronic illnesses or just die.
Health as such will continue to be a major issue, but for the Millennials, it is in their interest to become and stay as healthy as possible for as long as they are able to because it may mean the difference between life and death for them, as they will not be able to expect or many times pay for the same things the Boomers did in the US. Likewise, one should also expect to see the continuation of the trend towards medical tourism for major surgeries.