A lot of us oldies' loss of concentration, forgetfulness, and behaviour that younger generations may find unexpected, may indeed be age-related. HOWEVER I recently attended a reunion of the Bushband I used to fiddle in 30 years ago. Sure, all of us have gone on in years, some have remained fitter, others not so. And of course you exchange details about general health and specific non-health issues. One experience shared by a majority: undesired side effects of medication prescribed by people's GPs. It seems that an increasing amount of "in" drugs is being prescribed for a wide range of relatively minor problems, rendering the "cure" much worse than the disease. Statins, Beta blockers, Antocoagulants, Antidepressants ... just about everyone of us Over-60's had a story to tell, how they felt sluggish, dopey, even "lost it" after being "put on" a new wonder drug.
A few have been lucky enough to find a more enlightened GP, who listened when personality changes became apparent: reduced the dosage or reassessed the need for some of the heavier drugs and took them off the menu altogether. Others, ...
So, all you youngsters under Sixty, please don't call us crazy, senile, dopey, or irrational when we do something you didn't expect, or when we're seen as doing nothing at all. Maybe we're simply suffering a Senior Moment because a GP has taken the easy way out and put us on Gavapenten, Endep, Propranolol, or Plavix. And could it be remotely possible, now and then, that we actually draw on our slightly longer life experience and arrive at a course of action that involves doing nothing?