Alzheimer’s disease can have a significant impact not just for the diagnosed patient but for your entire family. Alzheimer’s disease can lead to a variety of different types of physical and emotional outcomes for the patient and it’s important to recognize how you can best respond to these. 
Alzheimer’s disease essentially causes brain cells to die, meaning that the patient’s brain works less well over time and can significantly impact their day to day activity. Some potential behavioral and personality changes associated with Alzheimer’s include pacing a lot, getting angry or worried more easily, acting disinterested in things, acting depressed, wandering away from home, striking other people, misunderstanding what is heard or seen, and imagining things that are not there.
Furthermore, it is common for some Alzheimer’s patients to stop caring about how they look, wanting to wear the same clothes every day or avoiding bathing. In addition to brain changes, other things can impact how people who might have Alzheimer’s act. This includes those patients who have not yet been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In many cases, it is family members who begin to notice these behavioral and personality changes and make medical appointments on behalf of the impacted loved one.
This can be an important first step towards getting the necessary medical care that your loved one needs. But it also raises many questions about the estate planning process. Schedule a consultation with a Massachusetts estate planning lawyer who has extensive experience in helping families who are affected by Alzheimer’s.
