Response from the Silver Haired Tsunami

Not my phrase by the way, I think it came from USA Today...

My dad wrote:
I mean the only thing I didn't like about the piece was the reflex knock against old people. There's no evidence really that their judgment is worse than anyone else's necessarily and I think on principle it's as bigoted to slam people just because they are old as it would be to slam them for belonging to any particular group.
The prejudice in our society against the elderly is very ahistorical and weird in human history.

I replied:
That's not a reflex knock. It's a fact. As the population gets older there are going to be more night blind drivers on the road. More lonely isolated people who fall victim to financial [and other] scammers.
I am advocating NOT treating people differently just because they reach a certain age, but looking at people as individuals for what they are able to to do. Testing is a crude way to do this, but one way to introduce the concept that it's level of ability, not calendar year, that matters.

How do we protect people while preserving their independence? Security vs. freedom--the classic democratic conundrum.