I cringed recently while driving to the clinic where I specialize in geriatric medicine when I heard a young radio announcer refer to old people as “wiggy,” a pejorative for wacky. As a doctor who has extensively researched aging and age-related diseases for over 30 years, this to me is the sound of ageism unleashed. The quip immediately underscored how easily society regards age as the sole measure of how well a person functions, rather than the person’s ability to think clearly, make decisions and perform daily tasks.
Aging and mental acuity The tension between age and function certainly have played out on a world stage in the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign.
Prior to President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the election process in July 2024, a writer for a national magazine asked my expert opinion as to whether either or both presidential candidates exhibited signs of dementia. My answer was that I could not make that kind of determination in the absence of neuropsychiatric testing, some laboratory tests and a comprehensive geriatric assessment. This evaluation measures the patient’s physical and mental health and assesses their ability to perform daily tasks and live independently.
The reporter then asked whether older people can be more susceptible to the effects of fatigue, stress and other psychological pressures that might be reflected in altered verbal performance. My answer was yes, and I cited examples of how an aging brain under duress may lose a train of t.