to answer the question .. many of us older people ( I'm 67) have more ailments that limit mobility and ability to fight off an aggressor in a hand to hand combat situation ..

COPD a lump together of all breathing ailments with no cure affects 10 million of us with 70% over the age of 45 .. many don't realize how bad it is effecting them till it reaches stage II of III stages and they are in their late 50's and older .. would limit any one with it from running away .. many with COPD are on O2 and lug around a tank or O2 concentrator ..

many of us have ailments that they are unaware of .. such as 4-6% of the male population that has smoked have abdominal aorta aneurysms of various size that if they were hit in the abdomen could rupture .. many families don't find out their loved one has one till it is the cause of death !! I've lost 2 friends with one in the past 10 years .. one while surgeon's were trying to repair it .. Rupture of the AAA occurs in 1–3% of men aged 65 or more, the mortality is 70–95%

High blood pressure and other heart ailments can make it harder for the older population to do any kind of exertion that would raise their heart rate .. pace makers, stints and other electronic devices are implanted for heart conditions that would have killed you just 15 to 20 years ago !!

The list of ailments the elderly have is quite long .. I could go on but won't .

An instructor I took a class from told an elderly man that in some cases it might be best to fight from your back lying on the ground fending off an attack with your feet till you could draw your weapon .. instead of trying to run and being attacked from behind or standing taking punches to the head or body !!