Why are old people so slow?

I’m pretty sure it is a conspiracy to annoy you. All the old people text each other when they see you in a store and plot to get in front of you with their buggies to slow you down.

I think they’ve lost that sense of urgency and are in content mode. They’ve earned it by then.

Or, imagine that they have osteoarthritis in their hips, knees or lower back and moving becomes very painful.

Physical limitations.

Less processing power in the brain, combined with older damaged parts. I once saw a documentary, where the age of being 90 was physically compared to a young fit person wearing full scuba equipment on land.

~They are not actually old people, they are the manifestations of the dreams that people ask about on Fluther. They only appear to us as old people, because we would not be able to perceive them in their true form. ~

I can think of a lot of possible reasons:

• physical pain
• fear of losing balance and falling
• poor eyesight, leading to needing more time to track surroundings and find things
• difficulty processing and maintaining orientation
• browsing for entertainment
• wanting to make the errand last
• increased level of patience compared with younger people

Back up Jellies, and re-read Addy’s last line. He’s not trying to be a meany, he’s just being silly

Anyone that takes this seriously has to deal with my little friend.

I read it. I didn’t think that meant he didn’t want an answer.

^^ He didn’t want a serious answer.

I like all of your answers. The humor is good, but so isn’t the insight into why they are slow. I’ll be old some day and someone will be asking this about me.:)

Sure they walk slow, but they hump like bunnies.
slappy, slappy, slappy

@cookieman That’s bad.

I’m a 45 year old woman, apparently trapped in an 80 year old body. I do it for the shits and giggles. ~

@augustlan If you look over your shoulder and smile at me, I’ll smile back and do whatever I can to make your journey easier.

@Adirondackwannabe Done. :)

@Jeruba I like what you said, “browsing for entertainment” reminds me very much of my 60 year old mother in law.

I mean here we are in 2013, with tablets and Amazon right at their finger tips yet browsing and visiting stores seems to be what the older generation digs on! Not bad if you ask me. I feel like one day, Amazon and Walmart will be the only stores in the world.

Night guys. I’m hitting the hay.

@pleiades, are you basing a generality about “the older generation” on one single instance? Don’t forget about us “hate to shop” folks.

I wish I could convince people that there is actually more than one American, more than one older person, more than one woman, etc., and that you really can’t make very many true statements that apply to all members of such groups.

You know, @Adirondackwannabe, the day will come when your knees or back or feet aren’t as strong as the must be now and you’re fearful that with each new step you might fall or be knocked down by some racing behind you ... and I’ll wager you’ll be asking, “Why are young people so fast?”

We don’t want to miss anything. You young whippersnappers never notice the small miracles of life. Ever watch ants parading around? Or notice the machine that pulls your groceries up to the cashier? Didn’t have that in my day. Each new-fangled thing catches my attention. Ever seen a pickle barrel? Everything comes in jars or cartons. Take money. It takes me longer to count it out these days. I get gold dollars mixed up with fifty cent pieces. I tell ya, life is perilous. And trying to think and figure things out takes longer and longer. Just wait. You’ll find out. If you don’t go so fast you burn yourself out!

You have answered your own question. Old people move slow because they are old.

People and other animals slow down with age because their bodies including brains are wearing out. There is an inverse relationship with age and speed.

My 19 year old cat has very poor eye sight and weak legs and is slow in all aspects of his life. That’s good in a way because he walks into walls and trips on food dishes but given enough time he still gets around.

Reminds me of this comic strip from Calvin and Hobbes, where Calvin is wondering why his dad always does everything slowly. He figures that, the less time you have to live, the more you would want to get stuff done, and he concludes by saying, ’‘you can bet that when I’m a geezer like dad, I’ll be going like a maniac.’’

To which Hobbes replies…oh, great.

Perhaps a after going to work for years and raising families and everything, some peeps lose their Spider Sense.

As it happens, I noticed an old woman in the drugstore yesterday who might have inspired this question.

She was by herself, frail-looking and bent, and she was leaning on her empty shopping cart, just kind of cruising really slowly like a heavily laden barge instead of bounding along like a yacht cutting the waves. While I was waiting in line, I saw her drift back and forth several times without putting anything in her cart.

I’m no youngster myself, but not too long ago I had a painful but invisible foot injury and one arm in a cast (kept mostly hidden). I was extremely cautious on my feet because it hurt to walk, I was unsteady because I was out of balance, and I was scared of falling again. So I sympathized with whatever was slowing her down. I’m better now, and you couldn’t tell I’d had those injuries, but I haven’t forgotten how wobbly and impaired I felt.

I had an impulse to go up and ask her if I could help her find something or get something.

And then I noticed the expression on her face. She looked perfectly content and not the least bit uncomfortable. I surmised that she was fine just the way she was and simply enjoying her outing to the drugstore. Maybe her life isn’t very busy and this was her excitement for the day—or the week.

Or maybe she has simply learned by her age that if you go too fast, you’re likely to miss everything. She might have been entirely present, taking everything in, savoring the moment—something that busy younger folk sometimes have to learn by taking lessons and practicing.

I’m sorry if this is too serious for you, @Adirondackwannabe. I thought what you meant in your details was that you didn’t want anyone to take your question as critical or demeaning, which I didn’t. But you have opened up a pretty big topic.

They’ve realized the true joy of doing nothing. If only more people knew what a bliss that is.

Well you should know, old timer…“can ya pash down that tin of beansh shonny, my back don’t work sho good”

Old people? Try Southerners. These people move like molasses.

Everything that @Jeruba said about physical reasons, plus their mental faculties may be somewhat compromised and they have to think harder about what to do next.

Maybe they are perfectimg the art of doing nothing.