What Would You Do If You Knew for Sure?

A fascinating study in England has found a significant link between performance on a simple visual exam and the eventual diagnosis of dementia. With emerging treatments to halt the progression of dementia being dependent on early detection, the most astounding part of the English study is that it detected patterns of dementia twelve years before a memory test would detect the disease.

If the future will bring testing for dementia a decade or two before the symptoms become life-altering, an important question arises: what would you do differently if you knew for sure that you will lose your memory, your identity, your independence, and your ability to interact with people? Given the rates of dementia diagnosis and the number of people who will need long-term care, what should we be doing as citizens to prepare for this inevitable demand for resources?

This episode examines some personal and philosophical questions and the difficult decisions that policy makers are facing about a future with dementia.

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