Dear Editor,

Life expectancy is growing, and in Europe and elsewhere there will be more old people. Now, a person of 70 can still do many things. But it is clear that the body deteriorates over time. Ageing begins to manifest itself in many ways at 50.

For example, the muscular system atrophies and its force decreases, the joints deteriorate and erosions appear; the bones with osteoporosis weaken, the skin loses freshness, softness and smoothness, it wrinkles and spots appear. Likewise, capillary blood flow is minor, connective tissue changes and there is a minor water content. We have grey hairs, our hair becomes thinner and it falls. Genital atrophy appears and so sexual desire diminishes. The digestive system presents bad absorption, producing gases and constipation; the respiratory tree ages and leads to sore throat and poor breathing. The heart deteriorates and arteries harden; cerebral weight is minor, with neuronal loss and sleep disorders. Vision presents a progressive loss with opacities and cataracts; hearing deteriorates and perception alters. All these symptoms produce diseases like arterial hypertension, blood circulation problems, dementia, Alzheimer’s, incontinence and falls.

For this reason, society often conceals old age. But as Calderon de la Barca wrote: “Life is a dream and it flies. Old people are like survivors of a fight in which they have to overcome diseases and dangers. They have lost friends and loved ones and they verify how their strength diminishes. And it is when on knees before the altar, Jesus’ words are experienced: ‘Come to me who are tired and oppressed’.”

Church doctrine is for all ages, but in temples there are fewer young people and more adults. Old age is when the sheep are separated from the goats, when vanity is exceeded and when we give value to what really has it. It is the moment when our grandchildren forget us and there are only a few friends who support similar experiences as best they can. Old age is when the church receives adults, as the true mother who has given us freedom, but in difficult times, in the last stage of life, we turn to it to find consolation, protection and to mitigate our suffering.

After birth our parents took us to church to baptise us and after death we are taken to church for a funeral service. We are put in a grave or when our ashes are thrown, the priest says: “Father, into your hands I commend his spirit.”

Ricardo Gutiérrez Ballarín

Huesca, Spain

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