The Green Planet: David Attenborough's warning over forest fires
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The 96-year-old shows no signs of stopping as he is set to present the two-hour Platinum Party at the Palace today (June 4) alongside David Beckham and Julie Andrews. The Planet Earth narrator even said in 2016 that he will never retire because one can never “tire” from nature. Yet, the star has been tripped up by some issues with his memory.
After the filming for Planet Earth II, which came out in 2016, the star described that doing his work didn’t always come as a breeze.
He described “coming to terms” with natural memory loss and how scriptwriting for programmes takes longer to do because he struggles to recall the “proper names” of things.
One dilemma he has been open about occurred in the Jura Mountains in Switzerland.
He was looking at beautiful fields but couldn’t remember what they were called.
“There were these searing yellow fields, and I can’t think of the damn name,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.
“I wanted to say something about it, but I couldn’t, and it wasn’t until we got quite close to Geneva that I thought, of course, oil seed rape.”
According to the Alzheimer Society, a Canadian-based charity, 40 percent of people will have some memory loss after they turn 65.
Is memory loss something to be concerned about?
The charity adds that “even if we experience memory loss, chances are still unlikely that we have dementia”.
For Attenborough, any memory issues he might have are clearly not debilitating issues at this point.
The star has no plans to retire. “Putting your feet up is all very well, but it’s very boring, isn’t it?” he told The Independent.
For most people, memory loss doesn’t interrupt day-to-day life.
The Alzheimer’s Society explains that memory issues that do not disrupt normal life, and do not affect your ability to perform a task or learn new things are known as “age-associated memory impairment”.
The NHS states that people should see their GP about memory problems only if they affect day-to-day life.
“It’s probably nothing serious, but it’s best to get checked because any treatment you need may work better if it’s started early,” states the health body.
Despite the few slip-ups, Attenborough is continuing his legendary career.
The reason he has lasted so long and his memory hasn’t deteriorated more than it has could be due to how much he has been out in nature.
Studies have found exposure to the natural environment improves working memory.
In one study by the University of Michigan, students did a memory test and then split off into two groups.
One group walked around a botanical garden covered with trees while others walked down a city street.
The groups returned and did another memory test. Those that walked through the garden improved their results by roughly 20 percent while those who went through the city showed no consistent improvement.
Attenborough has even touted the mental health benefits of being among nature in a video collaboration with the charity Mind.
In the video, posted on Twitter by Mind, he said: “You can get the natural world into your life if you want to. Even in the most urban of circumstances. Even a pot that’s growing under some little glass cover in your home: growing, budding and flowering and putting out shoots, and so on.
“You don’t see it happen except that you know that it has happened and you look at it every day and you care for it every day, and it’s a joy.”
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