You may find this chapter useful if you recognize yourself in some of the following statements.

• It took some effort to blow out all the candles on your last birthday cake.

• You sometimes say “I’m not who I used to be,” if only to yourself.

• You see at least two “-ologists”: a nephrologist, pulmonologist, urologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, neurologist, or cardiologist.

• You take at least three medications regularly.

• Your physical reserves are thinner. A cold, flu, or minor injury flattens you for a week.

• Your cognitive margins are thinner, too. You sometimes feel confused if you drink too little water, get too little sleep, or pick up a urinary tract infection.

• You’re slowing down, and your satisfactions are shifting. You water-walk rather than hike, do t’ai chi rather than salsa, take photographs rather than bike.

• You’re not in a nursing home. You don’t fall frequently. You can still get out of a chair on your own and walk half a mile under your own power on flat ground. (If any of these are a problem, it is a sign of advanced frailty, and you may want to skip to Chapter 5, “House of Cards.”)