Thank you for the heads up. Yes, dementia IS an epidemic! I can't believe it's simply a matter of people living longer. When I look back into my family history most of my ancestors lived at least to their 80's and there was not one case of dementia in a blood relative that I know of and my mother knows of none. My grandfather's second wife developed AD in her 90's.

Thank you, Julianne, for posting the info about Wednesday's Appeals Court Decision on Chapter 51. This is process we dealt with back in January with my mother. The decision is indeed groundbreaking for Wisconsin. Let's hope it precipitates the change that needs to happen.

The front page of today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has an article on it: http://www.jsonline.com/features/health/120901259.html. (I posted a comment in the comments section, see "freeflowing")

And, again, a copy of the court decision can be found at: http://thewheelerreport.com/releases/April11/0427/0427d2appealsfdlvhelen.pdf

The decision has already generated a lot of discussion among the elder law bar in Wisconsin.

It is by no means the last word. For instance, the court left "for another day the question" of how to handle situation where a person who has Alzheimer's as well as another "qualifying illness" under Chapter 51.

But it is a step in the right direction.

BTW, there is also a link to the decision right in the Journal-Sentinel article.

Julianne