# Why do (some) old people move so slowly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 6, 2012, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885 "2012-10-06T07:17:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/21 "2012-10-07T06:33:22Z")
I move slow due to bad knees, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/22 "2012-10-07T06:40:21Z")
I’ll be 70 next month and I find my sense of balance isn’t what it used to be, so I am molre cautious about where I plant that foot. This means I have to be more deliberate about moving, which means I move more slowly. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/23 "2012-10-07T06:43:45Z")
OK. So why the hell do they also drive slowly? Just fucking shoot me now if I have to drive under the speed limit and can’t appreciate other traffic. Bugs the hell out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/24 "2012-10-07T06:48:39Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > OK. So why the hell do they also drive slowly? Just fucking shoot me now if I have to drive under the speed limit and can’t appreciate other traffic. > > Bugs the hell out of me. Many elderly drivers are starting to lose vision and hearing acuity, and may well find their reaction speed not as good as it was when they were younger. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/25 "2012-10-07T07:17:13Z")
1. When you get old, you get weak and clumsy. 2. Time dilation. Remember when you were a kid and summer vacation lasted a couple of years or so? And now the month is over before you realize it’d begun? When you’re old time is shooting by so fast you actually appear to move slower than you are. 3. At some point you realize where you are is liable to be about as good as where you’re going, so what’s the hurry? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/26 "2012-10-07T07:35:59Z")
> [@LinusK](#): > > Time dilation. Remember when you were a kid and summer vacation lasted a couple of years or so? And now the month is over before you realize it’d begun? When you’re old time is shooting by so fast you actually appear to move slower than you are. I’ve heard that, post-retirement, time once again returns to the slow seasons-lasting-forever mode. Perhaps a retiree can comment. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/27 "2012-10-07T12:27:10Z")
You have it backward. It is the slow drivers that survive to old age. Seriously, when driving on a highway, I set my cruise control at the speed limit and sit back and watch all the younger ones speed past me. My choice, your choice. Yes, my vision is not as good and my reflexes have certainly slowed, but I’m just not in a hurry any more. Also, I save gas at the slower speed. And don’t have to look out for fuzz. I do, of course, have to look out for even slower drivers and this obviously doesn’t work in heavy traffic. BTW, I also have balance problems but that doesn’t slow me down. One thing that does is that I don’t lift my feet as far as I used to so I have to be doubly careful of sidewalk cracks that could trip me (and have). ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/28 "2012-10-07T13:51:04Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I’ve heard that, post-retirement, time once again returns to the slow seasons-lasting-forever mode. > > Perhaps a retiree can comment. Not for me. I am constantly surprised by how fast time goes. I’m having a birthday this month and it seems like I just had one! (never mind the good wishes; just send cake.) ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/29 "2012-10-07T22:11:04Z")
Some of it is stiff joints and some is fear of falling. And other things as have already been mentioned. My mom is moving better and a bit quicker now since she got a knee replacement, but she doesn’t move like that all the time. She gets stiff when sitting for a while, and sometimes she just doesn’t feel all that perky. Or it’s her meds. You know, it’s all sorts of things. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/30 "2012-10-07T22:16:25Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > OK. **So why the hell do they also drive slowly?** Just fucking shoot me now if I have to drive under the speed limit and can’t appreciate other traffic. Because they drive old cars? ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/31 "2012-10-08T06:02:07Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > OK. So why the hell do they also drive slowly? Just fucking shoot me now if I have to drive under the speed limit and can’t appreciate other traffic. > > Bugs the hell out of me. Unless they’re yoga adepts, their range of sidewise head rotation has decreased so they can’t see behind the car and at the blind spots as quickly as when they were younger, so they compensate by being more cautious changing lanes and more cautious in general. Plus they probably realize that a minor fender bender that would cause minimal harm to a young adult could bring them serious injury or death, as well as possibly bringing a loss of their driver’s license if they’re at fault, so they play it safe. ---
**Author:** ![FuzzyOgre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/32 "2012-10-08T08:15:27Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > Unless they’re yoga adepts, their range of sidewise head rotation has decreased so they can’t see behind the car and at the blind spots as quickly as when they were younger, so they compensate by being more cautious changing lanes and more cautious in general. Plus they probably realize that a minor fender bender that would cause minimal harm to a young adult could bring them serious injury or death, as well as possibly bringing a loss of their driver’s license if they’re at fault, so they play it safe. Definitely this. My dad, who still drives for a living, has excellent range of motion. Mum doesnt. The lesson of the day is exercise your old folks, folks. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/33 "2012-10-09T13:27:14Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m not even fifty and got a taste of old age pains. > … > > Not hard to imagine what a 70 year old goes through. I’ll probably be walking slow then too. No f\*\*\*\*ing kiding. I did something to my back just above pelvis and for the last couple of weeks I have had really serious stiffness and ache with the occasional odd lightning-bolt of agony when moving or exerting in the wrong way. Hence, extreme care and slowness in some motion in case I waken the Back Pain Monster. It’s easing off now but it was an unpleasant preview of life in old age. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/34 "2012-10-09T13:49:15Z")
In my case, MS has slowed me down considerably. ---
**Author:** ![Marite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Marite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marite)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/35 "2017-02-09T15:20:03Z")
Hi – I came to this thread because I am a senior foil fencer and I know my performance could be improved if only I were faster. I am lucky enough not to have any of the obvious illnesses that slow people down. But I just can’t compete with people 20 years younger. They parry and riposte too fast. My parry and riposte is too slow. I see my opponent’s attack, and it’s like I’m moving in slo-mo. In my age bracket (70+ women’s foil), I do quite well. Last year I actually represented the US in the Veteran’s World Cup. Yes, I drive slower (speed limit, how boring is that), but I’m more interested in the biology of why I can’t speed up my fencing action. There are various techniques like metronome stomping, but do these really work? The only thing that seems to help is a couple cups of strong coffee. But is there a physiologic basis for speed that could be somehow hacked, as by nutritional supplements or brain training? Something that would work and wouldn’t be just a waste of money and time? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/36 "2017-02-09T15:36:17Z")
> [@Marite](#): > > The only thing that seems to help is a couple cups of strong coffee. But is there a physiologic basis for speed that could be somehow hacked, as by nutritional supplements or brain training? Something that would work and wouldn’t be just a waste of money and time? Unfortunately not. Nothing can reverse the aging process - at best you can slow it down. In my case, I am combatting age-related muscle loss (I am 61). What I have to do is set goals for myself that are realistic _for my age_. This ain’t easy, but I don’t like to set myself up for disappointment by expecting I can do in my sixties what I could do in my twenties. My latest goal was 22 pullups. Last week I did a strength test for myself, because it was my birthday. The test consists of benching body weight for ten, doing at least fifteen pullups, and fifteen dips. I did ten pounds more than bodyweight in the bench, 22 pullups, and 20 dips. That’s good - for my age. When I was 25, I benched forty pounds over bodyweight for ten, did 27 pullups, and 22 dips. Will I ever be able to do that again? Probably not. > [@Dylan Thomas](#): > > Do not go gentle into that good night. > Rage, rage against the dying of the light. But no matter how I rage, the light is dying anyway. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/37 "2017-02-09T15:55:06Z")
I’ve got no issue with them moving however slowly they wish. My objection concerns the slow old folk who walk smack dab down the middle of the sidewalk/grocery aisle, instead of moving to one side or the other. Or who pop out of their theater/plane seats at the earliest possible moment, so everyone trying to exit has to move at their pace. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/38 "2017-02-09T20:22:00Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I’ve got no issue with them moving however slowly they wish. My objection concerns the slow old folk who walk smack dab down the middle of the sidewalk/grocery aisle, instead of moving to one side or the other. Or who pop out of their theater/plane seats at the earliest possible moment, so everyone trying to exit has to move at their pace. Maybe they do that because so few people are polite enough to let them out when it is their turn. Also I don’t find anyone in any plane exiting at anything faster than a slow walking speed. As for people occupying the middle of a limited space and moving slowly, I can assure you that this is by far not a monopoly of older people. Or have you never seen a young person with their face in their smart phone completely oblivious to their surroundings? Or families with children, discussing where they want to go next while the kids manage to take up the entire space? I find this sort of thing far more often than I find obstructive old people. For the record, I’m 67 and I still walk faster than most people I come across. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/39 "2017-02-09T20:31:16Z")
As we age, this rule of life becomes ever more important: “Never let your ass get higher than your head.” ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-old-people-move-so-slowly/636885/40 "2017-02-09T20:35:22Z")
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