The concept of middle age, from 40-60, or 65 according to some experts, is a fairly recent invention. Most people are locked into a geographical location by this time, and they begin to show signs of financial health because their children have left the nest, and traditionally, this is the time when income is at its greatest. The official American life expectancy is 66. Although investments can be withdrawn without any penalty at age 59 and a half, and social security as early as age 62, most people work in America up to age 70, some even further. Medical problems become acute and potentially life-threatening, as the body shrinks and bones become brittle.
Nutrition is a concern among the elderly because the sense of taste and smell are the first to go.
There's even elderly diseases, like Alzheimer's, that afflicts one in ten people. Some low-income old people live in specially planned housing projects funded by government agencies or charitable organizations, but this is a very small number. The American process of dying is one of little dignity. Mercy killings and activities like those of the suicide doctor, Jack Kevorkian , are criminalized quite severely. The is a small, but sizeable portion of the dying who have living wills to reject elaborate life-support systems, nursing homes, and traditional burial.