doddering

/ˈdɑdərɪŋ/

Doddering means "physically or mentally impaired due to old age," like a doddering person who can no longer live alone without assistance from family members or a visiting nurse.

The adjective doddering comes from the Middle English word daderen "to quake, tremble." That shakiness, in movement and even in thoughts, is one quality of doddering people. It is important to be patient with those who are doddering, because like the word sounds, they are trying to still be mobile, still be part of the world around them, even if they feel more shaky as they get older.

Definitions of doddering

1. adjective

   mentally or physically infirm with age
   “his mother was doddering and frail”

   synonyms: doddery, gaga, senile

   old

   (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age