Take a seat.
There is not much point being the fittest person on the planet if you have already lost your marbles.
That is said with a smile, but it is meant seriously. Of all the prospects that retirement-age people quietly dread, the gradual erosion of mental sharpness — memory slipping, words escaping, the fog that wasn’t there before — ranks among the most feared and the least openly discussed.
We talk about our knees, our cholesterol, and our superannuation. We rarely talk about our minds. Yet cognitive health is as responsive to care as physical health, and the evidence is both encouraging and clear. Sleep, regular physical activity, genuine social connection, continued learning, a sense of purpose, and the management of stress all contribute measurably to maintaining and even strengthening mental acuity into later life.
Interestingly, these are the very things that good retirement planning attends to — which means that if you have been paying attention across these Topics, you have already been building your cognitive defences without necessarily naming them as such.
It is also worth distinguishing between what is normal and what is not. Some slowing of processing speed is a natural feature of an ageing brain. Forgetting where you put the keys is not the same as forgetting what keys are for. Understanding the distinction matters — both to avoid unnecessary alarm and to recognise signs that do warrant attention.
There is a third conversation, harder still: what to do when you, or someone close to you, notices something that goes beyond the ordinary. Whether to speak up, who to speak to, and how to hold that concern without either dismissing it or being consumed by it — these are questions many people in their sixties, seventies, and beyond are navigating in private, but should not be.
They deserve a frank and compassionate hearing. The mind and body that brought you this far are worth looking after. There is evidence that genuine gratitude — toward others, toward life’s circumstances, and toward the remarkable system that is your own body and mind — contributes meaningfully to wellbeing as we age. It is no small thing to care for yourself with appreciation rather than criticism, particularly in later life.
It is better to focus on what you can achieve rather than on what might be diminishing.
Jack Lack’s Listening Chair is always here, as is your welcome.
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