CONYERS — U.S. Rep. David Scott stood watch over his annual health fair, posing for selfies and sharing laughs with doctors and health care providers who over the years have become friends.

He thanked them for “doing God’s work” and quoted Scripture like always. But the wheelchair stored just out of eyesight and the staffers hovering, waiting for any sign that he was growing tired or needed assistance, were unspoken signs of the congressman’s current challenges.

Age and health challenges, primarily a bad back, have slowed 80-year-old Scott down considerably in recent years. He has grown increasingly withdrawn, rarely making public appearances in his district and keeping his activities in Washington to the bare minimum — mainly showing up for votes and committee meetings.

Fellow Democrat

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