As we grow older our recuperative powers diminish. Thus we accumulate a distressing collection of chronic incurable conditions. Some of these are no more than a minor nuisance, and we adapt as best we can; and when adaptation is not possible we learn to tolerate them. Some are more serious, involving severe disability and persistent pain, and may eventually become life threatening. We are also at risk of various acute conditions (like influenza or pneumonia) which are more serious threats to the health of elderly people than to younger people. We also have more difficulty recovering from what younger people would regard as minor injuries (such as falls). When you add to all this the increased likelihood that illness (and other disruptions of our normal lifestyle) will leave us rather confused and in need of more rehabilitative and social support than a young person it is hardly surprising that NHS expenditure per person rises sharply after about age 65.
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