cw: mental health, aging, medical care, just fuckin all the things

i'm not going into all the details here, because, obviously

but someone who's a friend is at the doctor now being checked for dementia after some serious issues that have been cropping up lately

he's not YOUNG, he's in his 60s, but at the same time i'm like...it feels like he's too young to be suffering through something like this

and it feels extra bad that i was one of the people who had to get in his face and tell him that he needs to go to the doctor NOW because the lapses in behavior were becoming actively dangerous to him and others

like i've been lucky inasmuch as one can when one's mother died suddenly at 59 when dealing with parents who kept their cognition together. my dad is 77 and other than the same level of autistic absent-mindedness he's had my entire life, he's still as sharp as ever

worst thing he's ever done is forget to turn off the sink a time or two when he got distracted by TV while washing his hands

i'm legitimately much more concerned about my OWN mind going as i get older than his

I don't know, it's messing with me more than I expected it to

I've known this guy for nearly 20 years, and like my dad he's always been a bit "off" but no one in my circle is normal and he did his job and did it well, so it was bunny ears lawyer more than actual concern

but when "dresses like it's the 90's...the 1890s" and "falls asleep under his desk for random half hours before getting right back to work" transitions into "keeps wandering off from jobs" and "drove car into house" then shit gets real really fast

it's eating my brain a little today. i'll be all right, and he will be as well, he's got a good circle looking out for him

but there's still just this brain goblin at the back of my brain and probably will be for a little while

we'll chase the brain goblin off, it'll just take a bit