What are insurance, contract, and criminal law implications of detecting Alzheimer’s disease early?

As a matter of medical ethics, physicians must address the health care needs of and be advocates for family caregivers of their patients with dementia.

The early diagnosis of Alzheimer disease is a boon in that it enables advance planning, but that planning process can engender conflict between respect for future-oriented autonomy and future welfare.

In cases where a parent is denying life-saving medical treatment, physician paternalism can step in to help provide the proper care to the patient.