Older adult

An older adult typically refers to an individual who has reached a certain age threshold where they are considered to be in the later stages of life. While the specific age range can vary depending on cultural, societal, and professional contexts, it generally refers to individuals who are around the age of 65 or older.

However, it's important to note that chronological age alone doesn't always define an older adult. Factors such as health, functional status, and social roles also play a significant role in determining someone's status as an older adult. For example, someone in their 60s who is healthy, active, and fully engaged in their community may not identify as an older adult in the same way as someone in their 80s who is experiencing health challenges and relies on assistance for daily activities.

In many societies, reaching older adulthood often coincides with retirement from the workforce and changes in social roles and responsibilities. As people age, they may also face specific challenges related to health, mobility, cognitive function, and social support, which can influence their needs and experiences.

Overall, the concept of older adulthood is multifaceted and encompasses a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and challenges that vary from person to person.

The United States — and the world — are aging. The number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to double from 46 million to more than 98 million by 2060. It will be the first time in history that the number of older adults outnumbers children under age 5. In addition, older adults will live longer than ever before: One out of every four 65-year-olds today will live past age 90. This demographic shift has moved the focus of researchers, health care providers and policymakers from how to extend the lifespan to ways to improve the quality of our later years. Staying healthy, active and productive are admirable goals for our nation’s older adults. However, society’s view of “old age” has not always kept up with the reality of being old in America. Many current beliefs about aging were based on information that is no longer valid given recent scientific advances.

Increased life expectancy and illness prevention and treatment have led to a growing population of older patients. These changes in patient population are apparent in neurosurgery; however, relatively little is reported about specific outcomes and prognostication in this group. A review summarises the challenges and management changes occurring in the treatment of three common neurosurgical pathologies; aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, head injury, and hemorrhagic stroke. A move towards less invasive neurosurgical techniques has implications on the risk-benefit profile of interventions. This creates the opportunity to intervene in older patients with greater comorbidity, as long as improved outcomes can be evidenced. A critical part of assessing appropriateness for surgical intervention in older patients may be to change from a mindset of age to one of frailty and growing interest in scales assessing this may aid treatment decisions in the future ¹⁾.