THERE was a time when the elders took young children into the worlds of their experiences. Some embellishment occurred, but a landscape was formed that was, of course, subject to adjustment here and there. I have sat in that atmosphere as both a young child and an adolescent and in silence heard the conflicting debate of what really happened to ‘Freddy Bandola,’ the Santapee Band bad man and mystic; was he imprisoned. Or was he banished to another colony state of the Caribbean British Empire? All arguments sounded convincing to the ‘lil pickney’ audience who were not allowed to comment. It could be the actual location of the fort at Mahaica, to where the first gathering of Critchlow’s B.G.L.U was located. What was significant in that age before google or social media, was that names, events and concepts were registered. The faces of those debating elders imprinted in memory, and a timeline before yours was fused forever in the subconscious mind, that will awaken those memories in the active consciousness when the time is suited, to be explored and verified, then cast into context when the need arises.

I bought a special edition of ‘Discover Magazine‘ October 2012 after a friend in Robb Street had lost his mom and decided that I would read every article, a fact that I really don’t do in any short time, because interests motivate. My friend was an in-and-out bachelor and was self-employed. When he moved his mother to reside with him, he employed his girlfriend to take care of his mother. His mother eventually died in about a year. In retrospect, I began to understand what had transpired. Age is predicted as the herald of declining mental conditions, forgetfulness, loss of attention, and our senses, meaning that “Shrinkage, dopamine depletion, and lost dendritic connections are not the only problems facing the ageing brain. Myelin, a substance that insulates neurons, deteriorates, and the number of nerve fibres that carry messages throughout the central nervous system also decreases.” That is a swift synopsis of the medical science that envelopes the ageing brain; DISCOVER Oct. 2012, but cultural and social factors also impact the (mind) brain along the way.

A person enters a job after acquiring negotiable qualifications about 20, with more personal goals to meet. Family life begins, and the fearful unforeseen that school, parents or guardians cannot really convince you to pay attention to, while encouraging you to embrace life in the blissful age of innocence. The age of innocence, from pre-teens on, of drawing St. Valentine hearts and putting a pre-teen girl’s name on it, for better or for worse, either you get a cloud nine smile or an early heartbreak on hearing she tore your Valentine heart up, too innocent to understand the green eyes of the bench mate who had brought the bad news, fact or fiction. I’ve always contended that it’s not age that solely deteriorates us, but the monsters, both organic and aspirational in the enchanted garden of life we choose, that impact whether we continue to smile or wear a frequent frown within or without.

The person who entered the job ‘about 20’ is retired at 55-65, without a presidential pension, translating to not enough money for health care, to provide items that have become customary to him and the wife and gifts for special occasions for whoever- grandchildren or life-long friends. Then in some cases, some of his children are independent, but some have only grown up, but not evolved. Meaning, they hang around with notions of entitlement, inducing a state of uneasiness. At the same time, amid these unforeseen developments, that lead to the consequential question of, what are the contributions of constant stress, anxiety and frustration that visits beyond sleep to an ageing brain?

Medical professionals do tests on focus and retention, to explore capacity in senior citizens. In many cases an older person has to adapt to multiple personal mental tasks and concerns,such as those identified above, that are constantly imposing to the point where in retainable priority. For example, two earlier discussions with promises to follow up are easily eclipsed by a later two conversations, that also include follow-ups, eliminate the previous two, for that reason, senior professionals have secretaries, but when left alone, a mental overload occurs.

In our culture, there are men such as Hamilton Green, Eusi Kwayana, ‘Rambo’ Gaskin, Norman Mc Lean, Lloyd Austin and the late Llewellyn John among others, who have demonstrated that though age has its brutal facts, an active mind persists, which is no secret as to why this is so. In the same 2012 DISCOVER special edition, an answer is given about a scientist named Kandel; “ Kandel is 82, appears to be one of those rare souls who has somehow managed to keep Father Time at bay. He remains active in research at Columbia University and his weighty 2012 book exemplifies his extraordinary productivity and creativity, ‘The Age of Insight: The Quest to Understand The Unconsciousness in Art, Mind, and Brain from Vienna1900 to the Present.’ Kandel’s daughter, attorney Minouche Kandel, speculates that her father’s clarity and energy result from a fanatical healthy food regimen -mainly Fish-and regular exercise. “He’s lived this healthy lifestyle for as long as I can remember,” she says, “and he was doing it long before it was popular.”

With my friend, some understanding that his mother did not need loneliness with a maid of unknown disposition in his absence, in an area that was alien to her. What would have been more sustaining was involvement with peers on a landscape that held memories, that could position relevance with activities from day to day. The ageing mind is after all a mind, for this very reason we gather at any age, across gender, over beers or just for a “gaff” at a familiar corner to discuss current events, or compare timelines to empower rational conclusions, not governed by real and imaginary fears, coupled with the burden of loneliness.