the "oldies"

my friends dad suffered and survived a ruptured aorta and kidney failure. he subsequently suffered a stroke, with loss of speech and leg movements. i went to visit him at the hospital yesterday and he looked okay. better than my mum looked when she had her stroke. it struck me also that he has aged a lot. i havent seen him in ages.
i take it for granted that "the oldies" don't grow old but i realise that my dad, mum and aunties have also aged tremendously the past few years.
Need to appreciate them more.