Ageing with Cerebral Palsy: Preparing for the Changes Ahead

I’ve never been scared of ageing, or how the passage of time would change my body. In recent years, though, I’ve realised that I need to prepare for it. 

I’m in my early 30s as I write this, and my body has changed a lot since my adolescence. In some ways, that’s typical. Time changes all of us. 

It just seems to be working a little faster for me.I read academic articles about CP and blog posts by other people with it, and I realised that what I was feeling had a biological basis. Although CP is not progressive, which means it doesn’t get worse over time, as our bodies age, it is common for us to lose function. On top of that, emerging research suggests that our bones, muscles and cells actually age faster than that of those without CP. 

This new knowledge gave me the power to take action, and I’ve come up with a loose plan. 

Exploring how I think and feel about ageing 

I’ve talked to my friends and written in my journal to help me understand how this knowledge makes me feel. I will be talking to my psychologist when she’s back from leave, too. 

Will walking become more difficult? Will my spasms become more frequent? Will my joint pain increase? And if any or all of these things take place, when will that be? 

I don’t know. I can’t possibly know, and I hate not knowing. 

It feels more than a little scary. So, I use all the tools I’ve built up during my time on this planet. I tell myself that fear is okay. That I can hold it lightly, without letting it overwhelm me. I can use my fear as fuel that propels me forward. 

Creating an environment that’s set up for me as I age 

I already live in a pretty accessible space, but there are some things I’ve been putting off because they just don’t feel that urgent. Or fun, to be honest. 

I don’t use my wheelchair within my apartment at the moment, but I might need to use it more frequently as I get older.  

That would require some modifications to the apartment, and getting those modifications would mean a long and likely difficult process with the NDIS. Starting that process has been on my to-do list since I moved in almost two years ago, and it’s not the only thing I haven’t done. 

Looking after my body 

I’ve also been neglecting hydrotherapy in the first half of 2026, and that’s going to change. I’m also supposed to walk 500m every day, to prevent my legs from getting stiff and sore from lack of use. I manage that maybe every second day and tell myself that’s enough. And it is, because I’m doing what I can with the time and energy that I have. 

But I think it’s time to shift my priorities a little, to work less - as far as finances will allow - and rest more, so that I’m in the best possible space to handle the changes that ageing will bring. 

Ageing and disability pride 

Disability pride helps me most of all. Knowing that there’s no shame in needing help now or in the future. Knowing that I have a unique perspective on the world precisely because I need and ask for support.  

Though I’ve referenced CP in this post, I know these thoughts and experiences likely apply to other disabled people as well, as we’re all ageing in a world that was not built for us.  

I may not know what age-related change will look like for me as someone with CP, or when it will arrive, but I’ll be ready when it does.