the memory/cognition loss that is associated with old age be a misnomer, in our evolution we had a lifespan of about 20-25 years ,mean, so living to be 70+, by the mass is something our bodies are not practiced at.
So age related disease and multi organ system failure may be do to a system(the body) not knowing how to copy with remedies for all its ailments, increased food, more protection etc, though it may not be inherent that people should get such diseases, proper diet and exercise and proper social functioning may negate age related disease

Most theories of aging fall into one of two categories: Stochastic or pre-programmed. Stochastic theories are damage-based; they suggest that environmental factors as well as unavoidable processes of decay, DNA mutation, and metabolic waste accumulation wear an organism down over time. Pre-programmed theories of aging, meanwhile, argue that humans have a sort of biological death clock that causes aging to set in at a certain time, typically between about 70 and 110 years of age.

IS THE FOLLOWING SOMETHING OF A HEALTH RECORD?
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At 23, I was ordained as a minister of the United Church of Canada and served the church for just over 40 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Church_of_Canada Not once, during my years of service, did I have to cancel an appointment or have someone fill in for me because of ill health.

BTW, I was born on January 14, 1930, on Bell Island, NL, www. bellisland.net I was 15 when WW 2 came to an end. Nevertheless, without leaving North America, I was an eye witness of two battles--part of the Battle of the Atlantic--in 1942 (I was 12) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the...E2%80%931945%29 with the loss of many young lives http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Island
Until 1949, when it confederated with the dominion of Canada, Newfoundland was an independent dominion of England http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_and_Labrador