The English Puritan, Richard Steele wrote on the sins of the aged, in “A Discourse Concerning Old Age.” He wrote this for the instruction, caution, and comfort of those who have found themselves categorized as “old.” He identifies sin patterns that are commonly seen in old age.

First, "Frowardness or Peevishness, whereby they are prone to be morose, wayward and hard to be pleased; easily angry, often angry, and sometimes angry without a cause.  Seldom are they pleased with others, scarce with themselves, no not with God himself: yea, they think, as poor Jonah did, that they do well to be angry.

Or rather go to school to your heavenly Master, Christ Jesus, who was meek and lowly, who being reviled, reviled not again, and when he suffered, threatened not." 

A second "folly incident to old-age, is loquacity or talkativeness; that is, an exceeding proneness to speak much; so that it hath pass’d into a proverb, Senex psittacus, an old person is a parrot. Herein they are twice children, whose faculty you know lies this way.

And old people, whose eyes and ears, whose hands and feet are much decay’d and disabled, are apt to make the greater use of their tongues.

Bridle therefore this unruly member. Nature hath placed two barrs unto it: the teeth and the lips; but except watchfulness and prayer be added to them, they’l be too weak. So that the talkativeness, which is culpable in old persons, is utterly intolerable in young ones.  

Whither is my tongue walking?  

And then consider withal that the more a man speaks, commonly the less he is heeded; and therefore if you would have people to mind what you say, check your loquacity, and take notice how the wise man placeth silence before speech, saying, Eccles. 3.7. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak."

The third sin more peculiar to old-age, is envy, "which is an inward grudging at those who do in any thing excell us. Now because they which are old do see many that surpass them in strength or beauty, riches or esteem, they are too apt to look at them with an envious eye, and to grudge them those blessings which God hath vouchsafed them."  

The fourth "vice too common to old-age, is arrogancy and conceitedness. An humour whereby they assume so much to themselves, as if they had a monopoly of wisdom to themselves and that their word must be a law in all cases, so that they can endure no contradiction.  Why should you therefore imagine, that wisdom must needs live and dye with you? That your words must be always oracles? O labour for more humility, and be content with your proper measure. Know for certain, that all conceitedness comes from pride, which sin cleaves to a man even to the grave." 

The fifth and “most epidemick sin of old-age, is covetousness or worldly-mindedness, that is, an inordinate love of riches, which is shown in an insatiable endeavour to procure them, and in an unreasonable lothness to part with them... Pray earnestly against this sin. Let your eyes be ever towards the Lord, to pluck your feet out of this net."