If Old People Moved like Young People They Would Just Be People
Youth is wasted on the young. You can add to that: Movement is wasted on the young. The elderly can’t move as well, usually anyway, as their young, forever on the go counterparts, so perhaps their smooth way of moving is wasted on them as well. Do they even know where they’re going with that sleek moving around? Perhaps. But old folks sure have a good idea of where they’ve been and where they wish to go.
Think about it: Today with plastic surgery being mandatory for professions like Hollywood actors or runway models – and even common folk are getting it done more too – the look of the elderly can be made to appear much more youthful. Yes, Joan Rivers may look like she survived walking through an industrial wind tunnel, but she sure doesn’t look her age anymore. But how does she move? All the facial plastic sleight of hand can’t make a bad hip or knee move any better.
No matter what’s on the outside, the inside – the skeletal structure, musculature and our bones – is what determines how we walk, move and perform physical tasks. All the make-up, hair dye and skin stretching in the world isn’t going to make a difference there.
Watch the old man on the street with his cane. See how he totters carefully along. Watch the elderly woman with her walker. See how she supports the uncertainty of her advanced gait. What if they both could walk with the confidence of youth?
Advanced joint implants like hip and knee replacements are helping the old or injured regain their mobility, however, arthritis and other debilitating age related conditions still force old people to struggle along with mobility issues. A few years back, my mother needed a hip replacement. Since then, the artificial joint has not only improved her walking speed and smoothness, but it’s instilled a confidence in her that I haven’t seen in years. Sadly, the arthritis she suffers from cannot so easily be dismissed or healed.
Imagine a time – and it may be coming soon – where the old move just as smoothly and quickly as the young. When the elderly don’t fear a flight of stairs, or even a slippery, snow covered sidewalk, because they aren’t as sure footed or sold moving as they once were. The differences in age – the cultural and generational gaps may still remain, but if the old moved just like the young, we’d be closer to just being people – and not so different after all.
