I am 67 and the age of candidates is a concern for me

[elocs]

since my mother went into a nursing home with the start of dementia at age 69 and in hindsight it was clear that she was in its early stage years earlier but it was ignored or explained away by me and my siblings. She wasn't bad at the beginning but I watched as she began to live in the big Now until she disappeared by inches and the big Now collapsed upon itself and she died in that nursing home 15 years after she entered it.

I carry the gene for Alzheimer's and am not at the age my mother first showed the signs of it (note: her dad lived to be 86, smoke for 70 years, and his mind was sharp to the end), so I worry when I can't remember things and I know my memory will not get better as I age.

Many suspected that Reagan had dementia in his second term and he was diagnosed with it 5 years after he left office. But I know that people may exhibit signs of dementia years before they are "diagnosed" with it. So when it comes to our candidates, the prospect of their having even the early signs of dementia is important to me.

I am an "Undecided" and the only "my candidate, right or wrong" I will have will be the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.
Then I will be "Decided".

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. I am 67 also. Age is just a number...

It is the mind and overall physical health that is important.

With age, comes wisdom. Though I find people who are younger than me , filled with more common sense and wisdom than many people older than me, but lack the physical vigor to persue their dreams. So the door swings both ways.

[virgogal]

24. I am 85 and age is more than just a number.

Changes DO take place no matter how you have taken care of yourself over the years.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. I'm older than you, and the age of some candidates gives me pause too. NT

[rzemanfl]

10. +1. I am 72. I still try to act like I am in my twenties-

sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't.

[Demsrule86]

3. People in their 40's and beyond can get dementia...so not a good reason...kind of biggoted

thinking.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Diet and exercise

We all know sugar and salt and fats and lack of exercise. Even genes can be just potential until activated.

Visage is a window to the soul and the mind. Gimme vigor.

[Cha]

29. I've certainly adhered to that

over the years and years and years!

[Ohiogal]

5. The Presidency is a demanding job

You have to be physically and mentally on top of your game. Trump obviously flunks both these qualifications.

I have seen some folks at 65 sliding downhill, and I have seen others into their 90s sharp as a tack. I guess it depends upon the individual. But I understand your concerns.

[treestar]

8. How demanding is it?

You don't have to drive. All logistics are taken care of. No concern about meals, clothes, how to get there, having enough gas in the car, everything is planned for you. Anything you need information on, there are advisors and clerks to do it for you. If you are a people person, it's likely to be just plain fun.

[Skya Rhen]

13. Exactly - all Trump does is eat, tweet and watch TV all day - and the "stresses" of the Presidency

certainly did not age him much, if at all. Compare his photo at inauguration and his photo, today.

So the theory that the Presidency takes a toll on the person, holds no water. Trump proves that.

[Princetonian]

16. Hahaha... you and treestar are cracking me up.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

18. I think in a normal presidency, the person is constantly bombarded with information and issues

and problems to deal with and solve. This takes a toll on a real president. But trump is not, and it shows. Well documented that he can’t even listen to super simple brief presentation with pictures. If someone tries to go deep, he orders that they are never allowed in his office again.

[Skya Rhen]

23. True - we agree that Trump's presidency is not normal...

[BeyondGeography]

26. Sadly, lack of a conscience helps minimize stress levels too

[JI7]

35. Trump looks worse now but it's mostly due to diet and lack of exercise. He doesn't get stressed

over bad things that happen to other people because he doesn't care.

[treestar]

6. I am not in the least persuaded by people personal or parental issues

No offense.

It depends on the person. And people who live lives as eventful as the politicians do stay sharp longer. Once you retire, you are going to lose function due to that. Jimmy Carter still isn't retired. So many old people are in DC, which must be very stimulating to work in, or they'd have retired.

Republicans are figureheads as POTUS, so it is not surprising that they have issues. Reagan was just an actor. The Dotard is, well, a special case.

[Dennis Donovan]

7. My paternal grandmother started showing signs of dementia in 1959, at age 60.

I don't believe it was called Alzheimer's at this point. But, according to my older siblings, she started forgetting things like names, etc.

I was born in 1965, so her symptoms were advanced by then (and I do not have any recollection of her other than being very ill).

That said, Age, as a campaign issue, is nonsense. Look at it this way; we need a kind, EXPERIENCED POTUS after having the biggest asshole POTUS in our Republic's history.

President Carter is 94 and shows NO signs of being ill, Alzheimer's or any other-wise.

[Chemisse]

9. Even without Alzheimers, we do lose acuity and energy with age.

I'm 64 and I worry about the age of some of our candidates also.

But I am resigned to possibly having a very old candidate and am just anxious that we have a highly qualified VP to step in when or if needed.

[GemDigger]

11. I have family that is in their 90's and they still are doing their own

getting out the vote, phone banking, working the polls, yoga, swimming, gardening, housekeeping and also doing community service. All their faculties are still intact as well as their health. Only 1 of the 5 are on meds of any sort and that one is for blood pressure.

[loyalsister]

12. It's a reasonable consideration

It isn't only dementia that is concerning to me. It's that the presidency is a 24/7 responsibility and our bodies and minds are naturally less optimally functional as we age. The odds of developing conditions which make ordinary activity more difficult also increase with age.
The limits of life span are not arbitrary or imagined. They are averages that reflect the natural reality of our biological conditions. I am currently rooting for Elizabeth Warren and her plans, and am very open to changing to a younger candidate whose plans appeal to me.

[greymattermom]

14. Another thing to keep in mind is lack of exercise.

I used to work with a group of neurologists studying the role of exercise in aging, and I did some studies myself. They have shown that treadmill walking can delay the progression of Alzheimer's in patients who have early signs of the disease. Trump can't walk very far.
'

[IluvPitties]

15. Age is such a subjective thing.

I know 70-somethings who are sharper and in better physical and mental shape than 20-somethings, and I am not kidding.

[handmade34]

17. ageism is not a good thing

we should look at the individual... all of my relatives (that didn't die in wars or accidents) were healthy and of sound mind into their 80's and 90's


some of our greatest people were/are very capable well into their 80's+

Madeleine Albright
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Grandma Moses
Jane....... oh, of course, they are all women...

[Hoyt]

19. Age is a factor to a lot of voters; but, in General Election against trump,

it won't be much of an issue except for those who don't turn out to vote because it's just a bunch of old guys/ladies running.

It's an issue in the primaries, but only one of many factors in weighing the candidates.

As long as I trust an old candidate can win and appoint a good team of advisers, I'm OK with age.

[Thekaspervote]

21. This!!

[LanternWaste]

20. Specific consequences of aging are relative to the individual

But I get it... lacking objective evidence, we often just project and apply our own experiences and shortcomings to everyone around us.

[elocs]

22. Candidate age is not a deal breaker for me, but it is a legitimate concern

given my experience which is, like other examples given of the opposite, anecdotal.
Everybody knows or has heard of the 100 year old person who has smoked and drank whiskey all of their life as well as eating bacon every day and is as sharp as a tack.

Yes, everybody is an individual and I can understand the "my candidate, right or wrong" attitudes. Republicans do exactly the same with Trump and look how bad he is.
Being president is a mentally tough job for those who are serious about it, clearly Trump is not,
but even someone like Barack Obama who was a relatively young man when he became president showed the rigors of the office in how his appearance aged in 8 years.

But dementia happens to most of us senior citizens to one degree or another and it creeps slowly, not being manifested full-blown at the beginning. I do know if this question was being raised with a Republican candidate that we would not be so quick to dismiss it and there would be no talk of "ageism" then.

[nolabear]

25. There's a wide variation in abilities. But imo the most important one

is who the person chooses to fill key positions, do do the actual day to day work of gathering info, presenting it, making recommendations, maintaining relationships, handling bureaucracies, and generally carrying out the agenda.

That kind of thing comes from character and having a plan. I agree being smart, healthy and capable is vitally important, but it’s not a one person job and the wisdom to create a vibrant Executive Team is every bit as important, as noted by the disaster we have now.

[CountAllVotes]

28. I agree

It concerns me too.

I've seen dementia in my family as well.

My grandmother lived to be 81 years old but she had not a clue as to who she was in the end.

They did not have such diagnoses as Alzheimer's disease, etc. at the time she died (1974) but looking back, that is what she had.

She had two sons that lived, one being my father. His brother (my late uncle) was a mental case and then some at the age of 71. He dropped dead on the street of a heart attack and oh what a huge mess he left behind.

Such a mess that some 20+ years after his death things are still popping up, like unclaimed property, some has been in the thousands of dollars just sitting there in the State's unclaimed property account.

A little demented? Um yeah, I think so!

& recommend.

[MBS]

30. It concerns me, too.

Last edited Wed Aug 14, 2019, 06:34 AM - Edit history (1)

The presidency is a demanding– and by all evidence, instantly aging – job, and the next president will be dealing with what is essentially a national emergency.
We need someone who is at the top of their game, and who can serve two full terms with all cylinders firing.. I'm less worried about dementia, but more worried about whether the next president will have the needed energy, stamina, vision and freshness of perspective.
We need a president with the energy, stamina, vision, and freshness of perspective not only to get us out of this mess but also to move us forward in a creative and hopeful and productive direction.
Picking a younger VP as backup is not enough for me (and, sorry, doing so would also be an admission about the limitations of the presidential candidate in question).

[TreasonousBastard]

31. I'll be 73 next month and know very well how physically and mentally one slows down...

Sure, everyone slows down at different rates, but we all still slow down. And eventually break down.

I would not automatically discount a candidate simply because of his or her age, but given a choice between older and younger-- if pretty much everything else is even, I would go for the younger. The odds are just better.

FWIW, Warren isn't that much younger than Bernie or Biden, (or me) but she doesn't seem to be slowing down at all. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she actually had a successful second term. Well, maybe a little surprised, but not much. Certainly not as much as those two other guys.

[oasis]

32. Presidents have cabinets and sizable staffs with competent advisers.

So what's the big deal?

[elocs]

36. I expect any Democrat elected to have competent cabinet, staff and advisers,

but I'm voting for the person and it's my deal to be big.
In my OP I said the age of the candidates, plural, was a concern for me so why does it seem it's just the Biden supporters who are so touchy about it? I will surely vote for him if he is the nominee.

[Joe941]

33. I'm not concerned about age one bit.

[JI7]

34. there are candidates of all ages running. if it's such a concern than vote for one of the many

younger ones.