alt Hacker NewsMy mother is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. It's terrible. I wouldn't recommend my experience on anyone. That might sound selfish, but it's just so painful to watch her deteriorate, knowing there's nothing that can be done. I watched her take a cognitive test recently - draw a clock, put the hands at 10 after 5. She worked on it for a minute or two, struggled, got it all wrong, then forgot what she was doing. It was one of the most painful things I've ever witnessed.
Sorry for the non-constructive comment. I guess the only constructive-ish thing is to recommend that if you've got elderly loved ones exhibiting short-term memory issues, get them tested ASAP. Then, get the "legal stuff" started right away (powers of attorney).
That's awful. I've recently gone through a similar process with an aging relative.
Two takeaways for me:
The things the medical industry will do to keep people "alive" are extraordinary, and expensive, and (in some cases) abuses of the concept of "living".
Moving to a sane jurisdiction where assisted suicide is legal is the only possible (but not guaranteed) strategy to approach this problem in a dignified way.
(OK, some people will argue that suicide is never dignified or moral or whatever, but I am not interested in their opinions about what I can do with my body in this situation, or really any others)