ABSTRACT
The unifying factor is that these patients are considered frail. Ageing is associated with impairments in physiological systems within the body. Ageing is related to reactive oxygen species production mainly in the mitochondria, which causes damage to cellular structures, such as DNA and proteins. The ability to live to old age should be celebrated as one of humanity’s achievements, but in the field of healthcare it has created new challenges. Traditionally, the age of 60 or 65 years has been used to define an older person, which coincided with the typical age of retirement from work. Ageing is associated with impairments in physiological systems within the body. Ageing is associated with a reduction in elastin content and an increase in collagen and calcium deposition within the arterial walls and myocardium. Ageing is associated with a progressive decline in renal function, although the severity of this varies between individuals, with some having only minimal decline over time.
