The conventional notion is simple: grow older, grow worse. A recent study involving more than 11,000 Americans suggests that for nearly half of them, that notion wasn’t true.
The study, published in Geriatrics, analyzed data from older Americans participating in the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study. At first glance, the data appeared to confirm familiar expectations. On average, cognitive scores declined, and walking speed slowed over time. However, averages told only part of the story.
