Batty Boss

[travellingtime]

This is kind of funny but also getting increasingly irritating/frustrating and I dont know what i can do.
My boss is 65, and becoming forgetful, is inconsistent and harder to deal with. The smallest issue becomes a major issue as she doesnt listen to what people say to her.
It's like workign with your granny, which as i say is funny on one level but also hugely frustrating.
She could retire. She can afford to, but she keeps on. She has no children and the job is her life, so I think this is what keeps her from retiring.
What does the law say about retirement age for women now and also what can I do about the batty-ness. People have suggested that I take the issue to HR but I dont know how to broach it and if it back fires on me I could end up with a very awkward situation to deal with.
She clearly struggles sometimes, in terms of dealing with major issues - she dodges things, and also she travels a lot and (not surprisingly) gets very tired, and struggles to put in a full week (this bothers me as much if not more than the battyness as its not fair on the rest of the team)
Any pearls of wisdom anyone ?

[flowery]

There is no default retirement age now. If your employer wants to remove her and she doesn't want to go they will have to follow normal performance management/disciplinary procedures as they would have to for anyone else not performing.

If you have concerns about her and the impact she is having on the team, you should talk to someone in HR and ask their advice on what you can do.

Do you have any reason to think her own boss won't have noticed, if she is dodging things, not putting in her full hours etc?

[travellingtime]

Her boss doesnt notice as he is in a different area of the building and also as she is often out of the office for legitimate reasons, he probably wouldnt question it. Also, he is not hugely involved in the detail of our work.
might consider talking to HR. my concern is that typically, they are not especially supportive.