Unforgettable

In June 2020, my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease over a Zoom call. The first consequence, the gerontologist told my mother and me as we faced computer screens on opposite sides of Toronto, was that his driver’s licence would be revoked. The second-most important thing she emphasized was that we should immediately create or update powers of attorney.

In the weeks that followed, we took care of the necessary documentation. What took longer, and required a gentle touch, was transitioning the household role of bill payer and tax preparer from my dad to my mum. At first, every bill required repeated explanations and reassurance – yes, we took care of that one; see, here’s the confirmation number; no, you really don’t have to do it because it’s already done.

Gradually, my dad was able to fully delegate a task that had become a struggle for him — but, when a family member or a client has dementia, there’s often a tension between getting things done and preserving someone’s autonomy. That’s something to consider as you read Diane Peters’ feature on page 18 about working with clients experiencing cognitive impairment.

Unfortunately, dementia numbers are rising in Canada, with the Alzheimer Society of Canada projecting that 597,000 cases in 2020 will grow to 955,900 cases by 2030. Advisors urgently need to develop the skills necessary to support clients with diminished capacity. After all, as Laura Tamblyn Watts told Diane, “Cognitive impairment is part of every financial planner, financial advisor, and wealth industry professional’s portfolio, whether they know it or not.”

Supplementing the strategies in the article, advisors can sign up for Advocis’s Working with Senior Clients CE course, which covers how to work with clients at different stages of dementia (register at www. advocis.ca/continuing-education-practicematters). In addition, Ottawa-based Age Well Solutions runs a Dementia-Friendly ProfessionalTM training program that is CE-accredited in several jurisdictions and