Could I offer a middle way here, SB - which is to memorise as much as you can of the songs that you want to sing for a floor spot. In many clubs it's around than 2 or 3 songs. Take the words with you and place them on a music stand where you can see them if you have to, i.e. if the words start to desert you. That way, you can train your memory but have a fallback if age really is taking its toll.

I'm blessed, most of the time, with an excellent memory (for 65) and can still learn a song fairly quickly and remember it in performance. I would never use a word sheet in a performance, but I can understand if some people have genuine difficulty without one. What I dislike - and I'm sure you don't count in this respect - is singers who just can't be arsed to learn the stuff, and sing from a folder of songs out of sheer laziness.

My own memory for people's names is, however, getting worse. This is very common, I'm told, and doesn't mean any loss of... of... oh, you knwo what I mean...