Memory & Mood

A Funny Story About Aging and Mental Agility

Listen to Ms. Campisi's discussion

Elder Law attorney Lynn Campisi tells her favorite story about aging:

"Sometimes later in life, professionals are concerned about our level of capacity. And on a very informal basis, we may have a psychologist, a social worker, or someone from a facility give us what's called the 'Mini-Mental Exam' to determine where we are, initially, in our mental status—whether we're capable of making decisions for ourselves.

"But while the Mini-Mental is important, it's not to be an all-inclusive and indicative test. And I'll tell you why.

"The test asks things like 'Count backwards by 7," and I don't know how quickly I could do that. The test also asks, 'Who's the current president?' and I guess with the swirl in Washington, that's even difficult to know some days.

"But my dad's always a joker, a quick thinker, and always has something funny to say. I sat him down one day and said, 'Daddy, help me with this...I'm going to give you a Mini-Mental Exam. Can you spell for me the word 'world,' backwards?'"

"Well, he stood up quickly from the chair, turned around, and said, 'W-O-R-L-D!

A downloadable audio file of Ms. Campisi's article is also available.