My Mother is pretty good for her age!

Why would you say something like that anyway?

What message are you trying to get across?

Of course your Mother is well. What’s it got to do with her age??

By saying this you are assuming that most older people have poor health and illness and that your Mother is lucky or an exception to most.

Unfortunately most people believe this and say this about their elderly parents.

Families fail to understand that old age alone does not make you sick.

Most people believe that as you get older you get more fail and more unwell.

They associate old age with bad health. So they are surprised when an older parent is well.

Only 25% of Seniors over 80 years of age are unwell and disabled- that is 75% are well.

So why wouldn’t you just say my Mother is “normal” irrespective of her age?

You wouldn’t say “ my 20 year old daughter is pretty good for her age” so why do we say it about our older relatives.

Those families who brag about their elderly Mother being “pretty good for her age” may accept undiagnosed illness as part of “normal ageing”, thus denying their elderly relatives proper medical care.

The takeaway message here is that 75% of Seniors are medically well.

For more information read Dr Peter Lipski’s book “Your Elderly Parents Failing Health. Is It Ageing Or A Treatable Condition”.