89. Officially Old

Well it has officially arrived, OLD AGE. In New South Wales once one arrives at ones 75^th birthday everyone seems bent on reminding you that you are old. No longer elderly, or mature, or getting on but well and truly there.

I reached that mile-stone this month and now I have to have an annual medical check-up from my doctor and he has to sign a form  to give to the road traffic authorities to  certify that I am physically fit enough to drive. Also all doctor’s practices are required to make sure that every patient on their register over 75 is seen at least once a year by the doctor or at least by a nurse, preferably in their own homes.

When I went to the doctor last week for my medical for my driving licence my doctor noted that my birthday was on the 16^th and that Jonathan had an appointment for a home visit from the nurse on the 15^th.  He thought that it might be easier all round if the nurse made it a double appointment so she could test Jonathan and me on the same day. He said he would get in touch with the nurse and arrange it.

A couple of days later I got a phone call from the nurse. She said that it would suit her to do the two tests together but as Jonathan’s appointment was on the 15^th and I would not be turning 75 until 16^th I was not eligible for the free testing so did I mind if we changed the date of Jonathan’s appointment. I told her that neither of us was in a great hurry so whenever it suited her would be fine with us. It is now arranged for Feb 14^th.

When my son Jace phoned a  little later I was telling him about how silly I thought it was and he agreed. He went off a bit about the stupidity of red tape and wondered why she could not have done the test on the 15^th and just dated it 16^th but I told him that that would obviously confuse the issue as having seen these tests being done before I knew that it was possible that one of the questions would be “What day is it” and then would the answer have been right or wrong? Also I told him that one of the questions often asked was “Who is the Prime Minister of the country?” Well as one is never sure one day from the next who is the leader of our country the answer given on the 15^th could be right then but be wrong on the 16^th. Jace was surprised that they could even ask old people who the Prime Minister was, he felt that that was rather an unfair question we have had so many changes recently.

When I told my sister in the UK that I would now require a medical certificate to be able to hold my licence and once I turn 85 would have to do an actual driving test she said that that was not the way things were done there. She informed me that in the UK once one gets to 70 you have to write to the road traffic authority stating that you are physically fit to drive. While I am not too pleased to have to get a medical every year from now on and am certainly not looking forward to an actual driving test in 10 years I do think our system is safer that theirs. After all I have yet to meet a 75 year old man, or woman either come to think of it, who would admit that he was no longer fit to drive. No one likes to lose their independence and one can’t help wondering if a certain 97 year old who was involved this week in an accident while leaving his home should still be allowed behind the wheel. What a good thing that no one was seriously hurt.