{"id":524686,"date":"2022-12-10T19:06:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-10T16:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/retirement-weekly-cognitive-decline-in-a-loved-one-how-to-spot-it-what-to-do\/"},"modified":"2022-12-10T19:06:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-10T16:06:00","slug":"retirement-weekly-cognitive-decline-in-a-loved-one-how-to-spot-it-what-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/retirement-weekly-cognitive-decline-in-a-loved-one-how-to-spot-it-what-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"#Retirement Weekly: Cognitive decline in a loved one: how to spot it, what to do"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40e4aa5d497\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40e4aa5d497\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/retirement-weekly-cognitive-decline-in-a-loved-one-how-to-spot-it-what-to-do\/#%E2%80%9CRetirement_Weekly_Cognitive_decline_in_a_loved_one_how_to_spot_it_what_to_do%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Retirement Weekly: Cognitive decline in a loved one: how to spot it, what to do&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/retirement-weekly-cognitive-decline-in-a-loved-one-how-to-spot-it-what-to-do\/#Financial_and_estate_planning_can_help_families_avoid_some_wrenching_situations\" >Financial and estate planning can help families avoid some wrenching situations<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/retirement-weekly-cognitive-decline-in-a-loved-one-how-to-spot-it-what-to-do\/#Kelly_Mould\" >Kelly Mould<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CRetirement_Weekly_Cognitive_decline_in_a_loved_one_how_to_spot_it_what_to_do%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Retirement Weekly: Cognitive decline in a loved one: how to spot it, what to do&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"article__subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Financial_and_estate_planning_can_help_families_avoid_some_wrenching_situations\"><\/span>\n  Financial and estate planning can help families avoid some wrenching situations<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"column column--full article__content\">\n<div class=\"article__side\">\n<div class=\"container--sticky not-active\">\n<div id=\"cx-next\" data-nosnippet>\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"js-article__body\" class=\"article__body article-wrap at16-col16 barrons-article-wrap crawler\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0001463257\" role=\"document\">\n<div class=\"barrons-article-ad-wrapper\">\n<div data-track=\"barrons-article-ad-wrap\" class=\"barrons-article-ad sticky_item\">\n<div class=\"barrons-main-article-ad-target sticky_target body_ad\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-layout=\"\n                inline\" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetArticleReader\n              \n              inline\n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetArticleReader\n              article__inset--inline\n  \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"media-object-article-reader\">\n<div class=\"audioplayer\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0001463257\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Listen to Article\" tabindex=\"-1\" id=\"articlereader\" data-show-title=\"false\" data-theme=\"wsj-article-reader\" data-show-header=\"false\" data-show-subscribe=\"false\" data-ads-enabled=\"true\" data-save-publication=\"false\">\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       Both as a financial adviser and in my prior role as an attorney, I\u2019ve seen families struggle with cognitive decline of an aging parent. Financial and estate planning can\u2019t take away the heartache, but they can help families avoid some wrenching situations.<\/p>\n<p> In this article, I\u2019ll share two scenarios drawn from real-life circumstances I\u2019ve observed. One points to the danger of letting cognitive decline remain unaddressed. The other lays out the thought process of a perfectly sharp retiree who wants to address the long-term potential for cognitive decline.<\/p>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n       <strong>Read:<\/strong>\u00a0Eating 400 calories a day from these foods could raise your dementia risk by over 20%<\/p>\n<p>Both scenarios point to the foundational role of healthcare and finance power of attorney documents. In a follow-up article, I\u2019ll share additional <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roaches and resources for addressing both mild and severe cognitive decline.<\/p>\n<p>Painful as these topics are, their relevance is widespread. Consider the sheer number of aging people. According to the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, the risk of dementia increases with advancing age. The population of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to grow from 58 million in 2021 to 88 million by 2050.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s the potential for abuse, including financial abuse. According to the National Council on Aging, up to five million older Americans are abused every year, and losses specific to financial abuse are estimated to be $36.5 billion dollars annually.<\/p>\n<p>Hard as it is, families need to watch for signs of cognitive decline and be ready to have difficult conversations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>One spouse covering for the other<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This real-life example (with a changed name) demonstrates the need for a power of attorney for healthcare and finance.<\/p>\n<p>Lucille was 80 when her husband noticed her memory \u201cslipping.\u201d She became routinely irritable. She would forget where she placed things or that there was food cooking on the stove. She was paranoid, thinking things were being taken from her because she couldn\u2019t find them. She stopped driving, ate poorly, and started making notes on just about everything.<\/p>\n<div id=\"cx-membership-tile\"><\/div>\n<p>However, Lucille\u2019s memory loss and confusion was\u00a0not\u00a0obvious to the extended family. Her husband had become an expert at covering the gaps, responding for her, and managing her day-to-day needs. When he died suddenly, the family quickly saw how significant Lucille\u2019s decline was: she could not manage medicine, would become confused on time, day, and location, and started to have some difficulty verbalizing thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>Everything indicated she needed some significant help. Now the family had to scramble to try and find the resources most appropriate for her needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s hard enough\u2014but now consider\u00a0how much harder\u00a0it is when no properly executed power of attorney for healthcare and finance is in place. In that case, guardianship legal proceedings may be necessary before meaningful intervention can be taken. Guardianship is the drastic step of removing an individual\u2019s rights and assigning them to another individual to act in the ward\u2019s best interest.<\/p>\n<p>Far better is to have power of attorney documents in place ahead of a major decline. Then, trusted agents can act on behalf of an individual in ways the person would want, so long as those wishes don\u2019t run afoul of the law. Taking the time to execute power of attorney documents for health and finance is critical for every adult.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Proactive planning at retirement age<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Juanita is 65 years old. She is divorced and has three grown daughters. Juanita is fiercely independent. She was a C-suite executive for many years, built a retirement nest egg, and after she retired, moved to Wisconsin to be near her children and grandchildren.<\/p>\n<p>Juanita is as cognitively sharp today as she was in her 20s. She purchased a long-term-care insurance policy years ago in the event she ever needs more extensive care. Her power of attorney documents are complete, and her agents and doctors all have copies. She has a financial advisory team that she meets with annually to review her investments and financial plan to make sure she is on track. She has talked with her agents and children about her healthcare needs\/wishes, her thoughts about long-term care and her financial picture. She wants to live independently, control her finances, and handle her medical care for as long as possible, but she understands she may need help one day and the best way for her to ensure her wishes are followed is to communicate them, and communicate them often.<\/p>\n<p>Juanita is following a pattern of proactive planning that more people are engaging in today. Her willingness to do that planning and communicate with her family will be tremendously helpful if she experiences a cognitive decline. This way, her family and advisers will know and understand her wishes.<\/p>\n<p>Still, even with proactive planning, addressing cognitive decline is very difficult for families. Her daughters should be aware of warning signs to look out for, such as:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Difficulty walking, balancing and mobility<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Noticeable difference in dexterity<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Confusion<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Changes in mood<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Unexplained bruising<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Forgetfulness<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Leaving burning stove unattended<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Spouse answering for the person, minimizing behaviors<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hoarding<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Failure to manage medications<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Poor hygiene<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Change in sleep patterns<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Inability to attend to housekeeping<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Poor diet<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Late payment notices, collections<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Unsafe driving<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Falling victim to fraud or exploitation with finances, products, or services<\/p>\n<p>If cognitive decline is suspected, time may be of the essence. There are sometimes treatment approaches that can slow that decline. If physical decline is also a concern, re<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>l measures should be taken quickly to improve safety.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Difficult conversations\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s much more challenging to have difficult conversations with someone in Lucille\u2019s situation than someone with more mild decline. But regardless, conversations need to happen.<\/p>\n<p>Be sensitive about when, where, and how they take place. Late afternoons and evenings are often not best, particularly if the loved one experiences sundowner\u2019s syndrome\u2014a state of confusion occurring later in the afternoon and night often found in individuals with dementia or Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Being patient is critical. Include close friends and family if appropriate. Avoid criticizing or pressuring. It\u2019s important to be sensitive and listen carefully to the fears and concerns the loved one may have.<\/p>\n<p>Deal with topics a piece at a time so that the conversation does not become overwhelming. Reassure the person of your concern that they are safe and cared for. Try to understand what their hopes are for the future, and how they envision their aging lifestyle.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have had the conversation, you can move into the next stage of developing a plan for the right support depending on the needs. Not having the conversation or waiting until the situation is dire, as in the case of Lucille, is risky.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Be aware of resources\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In today\u2019s world there are many options that can be explored that allow for greater individual autonomy while still meeting needs caused by a cognitive decline. In the next article, we will explore a variety of resources available to families as they navigate the needs of a loved one suffering from mild to more severe cognitive decline.<\/p>\n<p><em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.johnsonfinancialgroup.com\/about-us\/advisors\/208\" class=\"icon none\">Kelly Mould<\/a>\u00a0is a senior vice president, wealth sales team lead at Johnson Financial Group.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"byline article__byline\">\n<p>    <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author  hasMenu\" data-scrim='{\"type\":\"author\",\"header\":\"Kelly Mould\",\"subhead\":\"The Wall Street Journal\",\"list\":[]}' itemscope itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<h4 itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kelly_Mould\"><\/span>Kelly Mould<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/story.asp?guid=%7B20C06575-04D4-B545-7165-3D90CFA179AE%7D&#038;siteid=rss&#038;rss=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Retirement Weekly: Cognitive decline in a loved one: how to spot it, what to do&#8221; Financial and estate planning can help families avoid some wrenching situations Both as a financial adviser and in my prior role as an attorney, I\u2019ve seen families struggle with cognitive decline of an aging parent. Financial and estate planning can\u2019t&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":524687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.mktw.net\/im-629890\/social","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-524686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=524686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/524687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=524686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=524686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=524686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}