As soon as there is reasonable evidence for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's
disease (primary progressive degenerative dementia), the physician should
urge legal and financial counseling of the patient and the family in
planning for the patient's long-term care. The general purposes and the
process of such counseling are described as a guide for physicians who care
for these patients and their families. The issues of informed consent,
competency, powers of attorney, guardianship, inter vivos trusts, wills,
and living wills are discussed. Timely planning eases the burden on the
family and assists the physician in the patient's care during the later
stages of the disorder.Abstract Teaser