Mobility, Resilience, and Independence

As we age, our muscles can get weaker and smaller. This can make everyday tasks – like climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or walking uphill – feel harder. You may notice you get out of breath more easily. Staying active can help slow this down. Walking every day is a good start. Walking a little faster and doing simple strength exercises can help you stay strong and keep doing the things you enjoy. If starting feels hard, try a beginner class, walk with a friend, or ask your doctor about safe ways to begin.

How quickly people age varies. Lack of activity and poor diet are the largest modifiable risk factors – or risk factors that you can control – for declines with aging. Keeping a healthy body weight, normal blood pressure, normal blood sugar, and being active every day are important. Engaging with others and having a purpose for your life also support healthy aging. Heart disease risk factors are closely tied to risk factors for frailty and memory loss.

Frailty

You are considered frail when your body no longer has the reserves of strength and ability to bounce back from illness it once had. Signs of frailty include:

• unexplained weight loss
• poor appetite
• difficulty walking or getting out of a chair
• unexplained fatigue
• low activity level

Conditions that can be treated – such as heart failure or an infection – may cause these symptoms. However, among people with heart and blood vessel disease, 3 out of 10 of those over age 80 and more than 4 out of 10 of those over age 90 have an underlying state of frailty. Frailty often comes before sharp declines in health. It also can signal a need for levels of care when considering procedures or high-risk treatments. Frail patients might need different care from patients who are not frail.