At what age were your parents when you started to notice them really slowing down?

100% agree, and in a non-partisan way. Is it any wonder things are as screwed up as they are? I don't understand why people keep voting for these old people, or why the old people don't just step aside. Need term and age limits.

Both my parents had dementia that became noticeable in their early 80s and took each of them at 89. For about six months around age 85 my normally-kind dad lost his filter and would make totally out-of-character comments about passersby, e.g., "That woman is OBESE!!!" After that he reverted to being his normal tactful self, even as he lost his memory.

maybe just consider yourself lucky you have two parents at 80 years old. Most people won't.

hunter biden, welcome to letsrun my man! who are your favorite runners? Tuohy or Valby?

props to your dad for marrying 6 years younger

Many here have told us about parents in their 60s and 70s who have experienced cognitive decline over the last few years.

Are they mRNA vaxxed ? How many doses ?

I grew up with living with three grandparents tell they passed at my parents house. Me and my wife took care of her parents and my mom tell they passed (last one two years ago). Was a blessing taking care of them but was some work. I'm 62 and can see the writing on the wall. I hope I can age somewhat gracefully and that one of my kids at least will look after me.

Dad is 73, and he's a bit skinnier but is active in sports and has a pretty clean diet. He drives taxis on the side for fun. Mentally, maybe a bit less sharp but he's always been sorta forgetful.

Mom, 67, broke her hip from a fall but still gets 3k steps a day. She's someone that always has to be moving and doing something. Mentally pretty sharp, just her ocd is getting worse.

I'm not personally concerned about their condition currently although I have to remind myself that declines can be quite sudden

I noticed my dad slowing down in July of last year. He slept a lot and seemed not as sharp as normal. He was also oddly docile. I thought it was normal aging at first. He was also going through a difficult time, so I also attributed it to stress. When it became more pronounced over the next months, I was afraid it was dementia. By end of October, he had aphasia and was incontinent. My mom thought he had a stroke and took him to the ER where they found a large brain tumor. It turned out to be glioblastoma. He died in July. He never complained of any head pain like you may expect. His early symptoms seemed like aging and stress. We overlooked the brain issue until it was obvious- and then it was too late.

It sounds like your dad may be struggling with something. I would keep an eye on him and your mom, but I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. Travel and change of routine can cause issues, especially if you've been retired for a while and don't venture out very often. But, it could be dementia, depression, parkinson's, etc as well. So, check in regularly and maybe, if you can, visit them more frequently to see them in their home and element. My husband's father is blind with several CMR issues, and he lives in a different state. We visited him once and immediately had to intervene and help him get back on track. He wasn't keeping up with his house or himself as well as he could and just needed support and a little jumpstart to get him more organized and functional. We visit him much more regularly and that seems to help us keep the pulse on how he is doing.

I've been around older individuals since I was 14, as my running club had a lot of masters and senior runners. Nearly all of them are still sharp as a tack and some of 85. I have of course noticed changes and they have slowed down physical and mentally, but most changes are much less subtle than what you describe. Also, my parents are about your parents again and I just find that they are grumpier, a bit more tired, and experienced more pain.

Mom is 82, and the same as ever. She was never very clever, and has always had something wrong physically. To me, she is just the same as she was at 40. She has looked 65 the whole time!

Dad died at 83. Was an athlete early on, then became a sort of alcoholic, then retired, got diabetes, ate like crap, and blimped out. He was always a misanthrope, but he really became a dick, until maybe 80, when his dog died. After 80 he was a slow old man. He mellowed, became repetitive, and even maybe contrite. In his case, the “slowing” made him immeasurably more social and enjoyable.

He always slept a lot throughout his life.

otoh I now know, and regularly visit, 6 nonagenarians—5 women, 1 man. The guy is great, A++ for his age, as is one of the women. Pretty much perfect. She could probably win track worlds if she cared, 90-94. We still run around the Paris metro together, even up stairs!!!

One of the women, at 97, is old in every way. Another, at 90, is razor-sharp mentally but broken down physically. Another is mediocre in all ways at 93. The last is broken down physically, and fatigues quickly, but is funny as f and still does things just because they piss off her husband!

73-yr-old FIL is the same as ever, a narcissistic, moronic ski bum trust fund lifer. Only in the last year has he begun to admit that he’s imperfect, and only after I have had to help him with his finances.

tldr: Mom not yet, dad around 80, FIL at 72

Does the username strike you? What he said is completely correct, but it's obviously referring to sleepy Joe

Age 72 here. It is interesting being on the other side of the issue as the one who is slowing down. Obviously, the running has slowed down. I have gone from a 2:27 marathoner to running/jogging 40 miles a week, although I did do a 100 mile race in May 2022, just to see if I could cover 100 miles at age 70. I still read the newspaper every day, cover to cover. Other daily mental challenges are the crossword puzzle, Sudoku, Wordle, and Hidato.

I dislike driving at night but can still do it. Not having grown up with computers I need to call my kids on occasion for tech support.

I took four overseas trips in 2023, three were group trips to Antarctica, Japan and Egypt. One trip was entirely on my own to Western Europe.

I volunteer at our county food bank every Thursday. However, I no longer pull the 800 pound totes of produce using a pallet jack. Now, I sit down to bag produce and am tired at the end of the day.

I think that I am doing OK but you may have a different opinion.

I’d say you’re doing pretty damn well, and I hope to be that active at 72.

Chronic, systemic inflammation is a huge problem after 70 for most people.

It affects both the body and brain in degradating ways.

It's not a cure but if you want to try something "cutting edge" you can get them to take one of the new NAD+ supplements like NMN or NR which might give them a few more years of functionality

Small amounts of Ginkgo Biloba have been proven to have some small benefit, avoid "mega doses"

My parents are still very active mom is 109 and my dad is 114 now. Both still drive and are members of a base jumping club. They also do parkour to stay limber on there feet.

My parents are early 70s and I have seen no slow down in them, either physically or mentally. They do all their own yard work and home maintenance. They're on the go constantly, always planning their next trip and meeting friends at this or that event. They're more socially active than I am.

Sometimes I'm tempted to tell them to relax and slow down. Then I read a thread like this one and see that they're doing great.

Also agree. There is no way I would get into a car with these people driving, but we give them the keys to the country. Its idiotic.

There are so many good thoughts and anecdotes on this thread. And then there's this. Father time, genetics, neuro disease, isolation from covid, the disease itself in some cases. Vaxx does not make the list.