Baby boomers stream into Dr. Ed Garcia’s office, convinced that they have Alzheimer’s disease because they keep losing their car keys.
“Put your keys in the same place every evening,” he tells them calmly. “The risk for Alzheimer’s is only 2 to 5 percent at age 70.” (It rises after 70, but slowly.) Aging isn’t an illness, Garcia points out. “It starts at birth and continues until we die. It’s a normal, natural process that everyone undergoes at their own pace.”
Garcia chairs the psychiatry department at Mercy Hospital–St. Louis, and he specializes in geriatric psychiatry, focusing on a time of life that, for most of us, represents a dreaded—and often misunderstood—series of losses.
1) Memory
Many of us, as we get older, don’t remember new information as well as we used to. That’s normal. But a pronounced, disruptive loss of short-term memory can indeed signal dementia—and long-term, early memories might not be affected at all. Just because Grandpa can remember the route that the mosquito-fogger truck took when he was 7 doesn’t mean he has an excellent memory.
2) Clarity
Small changes in particular areas of the brain, caused by a stroke or illness, might befuddle us. But we are not heading inexorably toward confusion. The knowledge we’ve gained stays with us, and wisdom compensates neatly for any losses in speed or efficiency. “Older professionals can often do their jobs better than their younger colleagues,” Garcia says, “because of the knowledge they have developed over time.” They’re better at reading others, they can handle conflicts better, they can deal with ambiguity better, they can deal with life’s changes better, and they’re better able to simplify and set priorities. They don’t sweat the small stuff anymore.
3) Sensory Acuity
We lose some sharpness in our vision and hearing as we age. What matters, Garcia says, “is how we compensate. People can get help from family members, ask others to slow down, or adjust their environment.” If they’re too prickly and prideful to take such measures, that’s when the losses can cause problems. Others might assume that they’re not paying attention, when it’s only that they’re not hearing as well. They might withdraw from social exchanges, rather than admit they’re having trouble keeping up.
4) Connection
Passing 65 usually means retiring from work (at least it used to!), and it often means the death of people you love. “Surprisingly, older patients adjust quite well to losses,” Garcia says—probably because of those gains in wisdom and acceptance. As for retirement, the key is having a life outside of your job—hobbies, interests, and exercise. “Endorphins help you feel better,” Garcia says, “and if you feel better, I think you’re sharper.”
5) Buffers
Age often steals our inhibitions—either because we stop giving a hoot what people think, or because our brain’s not moving fast enough to stop our tongue. Personality traits magnify: The mildly cranky 40-year-old turns into a class-A curmudgeon. Anxiety becomes querulousness. Sweetness becomes saintliness.
Age’s changes might be inevitable, but they’re manageable, Garcia maintains. He’s in his late fifties and already practicing: “I work hard, but I also play hard and enjoy my life. If you can keep that kind of mind-set, every one of these years is a gift.”
