Normal limits. Normal pulse rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute. Heart rate slowly decreases with age, due to changes in the heart muscle as it ages. Therefore, the resting heart rate of the elderly will usually be slower than that of a younger adult.our pulse is the surge you feel each time your heart beats and pushes your blood along your artery. The number of surges you count in a minute is your pulse rate, or your heartbeats per minute.