ABSTRACT
It is alarming to find how skills we have not used for a while have rusted and that we can no longer do things that we once did well. While we are middle aged we can keep calm and be sure that this is not the beginning of some general mental collapse. We only need to decide whether to spend time rehabilitating our lapsed skills or learning more useful new ones. As we grow even older, unease sharpens into fear that changes may be irreversible. How can we repair our former and preserve our remaining mental talents?
