Kate Dyer-Seeley  

I’m headed to the Oregon State Capitol tomorrow to testify on behalf of the 80,000 Oregonians living with Alzheimer’s disease and their 150,000 care partners at a Senate hearing on jurisdictional guardianship.  Yes, I know at first glance the topic might not jump off the page, but here’s why it’s an important issue.

One of the common issues that arise with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is denial, which often translates into families putting off end of life discussions.  Given that the symptoms of dementia don’t allow a person to reason or make decisions about their care, if advanced directives aren’t in place, a guardian is appointed.  The process of obtaining guardianship is lengthy and costly.  In Oregon, for example, it costs around $3,000 to $4,000.  Here’s the kicker though, each state has individual laws regarding guardianship.  Which in our neck of the woods, means that if someone living in Portland obtains guardianship and moves just across the state line to Vancouver, they have to re-apply for guardianship in Washington State and spend an additional $3,000 to $4,000. 

Crazy right?  Not to mention the fact that caregivers are under constant financial and emotional stress.  There are a number of other scenarios where the lack of uniform guardianship law comes into play for people with Alzheimer’s.  That’s why the Alzheimer’s Association is throwing support behind this Act, which was also just introduced in Washington.  If you want to take a peek at the proposed legislation for Oregon State click here. 

This is just one of many public policy issues that can directly improve the quality of life for persons with Alzheimer’s and their care partners.  If you want to help give voice to issues like guardianship, sign on to become an advocate for the cause.  I’ll keep you posted on where this goes in Oregon.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 25th, 2009 at 4:04 pm and is filed under Alzheimer's Info, Speaking, State Policy Issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.