New Delhi, Oct. 9 -- It usually starts small. A father skips his evening walk. A mother pauses halfway up the stairs. A grandparent naps more, moves less, and shrugs it off with, "I'm just getting older." Families notice these shifts long before anyone thinks to book a doctor's appointment, and almost always, they explain the change away with the same phrase: it's just age. Sometimes it is. But not always, and that distinction matters more than most people realize.

When aging becomes the easy explanation?

Breathlessness during everyday chores. Unusual tiredness. Dizziness or light-headedness. Swelling in the feet or ankles. A noticeably slower pace of life. An awareness of one's own heartbeat, or palpitations that come and go. On their ...