People who worked in loud environments are likely to lose more of their hearing. Some changes can be prevented by changing to a healthier lifestyle. For example, stopping smoking at any age, even in one's 80s, helps improve lung function and decrease the chance of developing lung cancer. Weight-bearing exercise helps maintain muscle and bone strength regardless of age. Implications of Illness Geriatrics is the medical care of elderly people.
Gerontology is the study of aging.
A number of disorders, sometimes called the geriatric syndromes or geriatric diseases, occur almost exclusively in older adults. Other disorders affect people of all ages but are more common or more severe or cause different symptoms or complications in the elderly. Elderly people often experience illness differently than do younger adults. A disease may cause different symptoms in elderly people. For example, an underactive thyroid gland usually causes younger people to gain weight and feel sluggish.