Mitch McConnell steps down as Senate leadership as Biden and Trump’s bid for a second presidential term raises concerns; What experts say about the effects of advanced age

President Joe Biden and they were President Donald Trump they’ve made many blunders during public speaking in recent months. Trump and Biden are amongst a growing list of aging politicians who some say have overstayed their welcome.

There are about 20 such members of Congress 80 years and moreincluding Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who’s 90 years old.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnellwho recently celebrated his 82nd birthday, had some of the most closely scrutinized incidents last yr that called into query his mental fitness.

McConnell’s public panic has led to increased calls for term and age limits on public office holders. In September 2023, the then 81-year-old froze to death for the second time in two months while standing motionless in front of the camera after being asked a query by a reporter during a press conference.

A couple of months later, McConnell did the unexpected – but not surprising – announcement that he’ll step down as Senate Republican leader in November, but in addition plans to complete his current term, which ends in January 2027.

While McConnell’s incidents is probably not linked to memory loss, other mistakes made by the two likely 2024 presidential candidates have many Americans concerned that there could also be signs of greater than easy memory loss.

At 81, Biden is the oldest person to serve as US president. He is running for a second term and will turn 82 two weeks after the November elections. However, his age was a cause for concern amongst voters, and recently his age has develop into even worse special report by special counsel Robert Hur, who examined his handling of classified documents in the years after serving as vp in the Obama administration.

In the Hur report describes the president’s memory as “flawed,” “hazy,” “vague” and “weak.” It also said the president’s memory has “significant limitations,” noting that he doesn’t remember when his son Beau Biden died or when he was vp. President Biden also incorrectly called Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah El-Sissi “the president of Mexico” and confused “red state and blue state” with “red state and green state” during the House Democratic Caucus Conference.

Recently, 77-year-old former President Trump, who’s currently the front-runner in the Republican primary, also made several memory errors. It seemed to mistake Nikki Haley, his Republican primary rival, with Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi while discussing the January 6 attack on the capitol. And during his speech, he confused President Biden with former President Barack Obama.

While many adults experience memory lapses sometimes, gaffes by presidential candidates whose combined age exceeds 150 years attract more attention because of their positions of power and influence.

Recent ABC News/Ipsos vote revealed that 59 percent of Americans imagine that each Biden and Trump are too old for one other term as president.

So the stakes for top elected officials are higher than forgetting where you parked your automobile or not remembering your friend’s name from kindergarten.

Atlanta Black Star spoke with medical experts to know what these lapses could mean. They agree that some memory loss is normal as we age.

“Some slowness and a little forgetfulness are normal,” said Dr. Leon Barkodar, a neurologist at Neurology Los Angeles. However, he stated that ordinary forgetfulness mustn’t affect each day activities and work. He also mentioned that fatigue can play a role in memory lapses.

“Sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on people,” he added.

Other experts agree with Dr. Barkodar. “Our ability to remember changes as we age is a normal fact for many people,” she said Professor Jim Jacksonneuropsychologist and professor of medicine at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Memory lapses in older individuals are often considered more serious because they’ll signal the onset of more serious conditions such as dementia, a condition by which memory, pondering and decision-making progressively deteriorate.

Dementia has an impact It affects 1 in 7 adults aged 71 and older in the United States, with roughly 5.8 million people living with the disease. The incidence of the disease increases with age, although the disease might also affect younger people, including the youngest thing ever diagnosed in a 19-year-old male.

“The most important symptoms of dementia include memory loss that interferes with daily activities, difficulty performing simple tasks at home, work or in leisure time, and confusion about time and place,” Dr. Barkodar said.

But he cautions against armchair diagnoses and speculation about the brain health of each Biden and Trump, saying the public cannot tell how healthy they’re based on a few gaffes caught on camera. “To be sure, we would need a specialist to assess them properly. Let’s hope they have good support and staff just in case,” Dr. Barkodar added.

But when should we worry about memory loss in older people? When is it just a setback and when is it a sign that something more serious is happening?

“If they vary in frequency (occur more frequently) or reflect a marked departure from typical behavior,” Jackson said. “For example, getting lost on a familiar route or suddenly not having the ability to pay your taxes whenever you’ve been doing it for the last 50 years, forgetting the name – not of an old highschool friend – but of a friend or a neighbor or someone you’ve got contact with, that is something that must be addressed. develop into more concerned.

Mitch McConnell steps down as Senate leadership as Biden and Trump’s bid for a second presidential term raises concerns; What experts say about the effects of advanced age