Another thing to worry about if someone has Alzheimer’s disease

We know to be concerned with safety when someone has Alzheimer’s disease. We try to keep them from driving if they still drive, from getting lost if they go out walking. We try to accident proof homes as much as possible – but there is something that may be not considered when working with our loved ones with AD – finances and fraud.

We’ve all heard of stories of older people being swindled out of life savings and many of the victims are not ill and don’t have any dementia. But, according to an article in Science Daily, Mild Alzheimer's Patients Show Rapid Decline In Financial Skills And Increased Vulnerability To Fraud, Over One Year, “New research from UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) shows that patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have a dramatic decline in their ability to make financial decisions over a one year period. The findings have strong implications for caregivers and health care providers in the areas of estate planning and fraud prevention.”

The article is interesting and a bit of an eye-opener, I think.

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