With the right genes, you can defy your age – look at Mick Jagger and Verdi
Diagnosis by video clip is always hazardous, especially for conditions such as dementia that develop over time. But few people can have observed the sequences of President Biden losing his drift in mid-sentence, being unable to find his way off a stage or freezing, without some degree of pity for an old person who is clearly past his best. Others of his age are as sharp as a tack. Second childhood and mere oblivion are not the inevitable accompaniments of great age. President Biden is 81 – the same age as Mick Jagger, who is still touring the world in rude health. It is salutary to remember that Verdi composed Otello when he was 80. Where there is such variability, of course, the question arises as to what causes it, and whether there is anything people can do to eliminate or reduce their chances of becoming demented as they advance...
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