A dementia or Alzheimer’s diagnosis brings a specific kind of fear into a family, fear about the parent’s health, and fear about decisions nobody has made yet. Attorney Cary Moss sees this fear walk through her office door every week. Her first job is rarely legal. It’s calming people down enough to start making decisions. The Diagnosis Alone Doesn’t Decide Legal Capacity A cognitive decline diagnosis by itself doesn’t prove someone can’t make decisions. Capacity exists on a spectrum, and someone in the early stages of dementia may still understand what a legal document does, who they’re naming, and what authority they’re handing over. Cary Moss meets with clients alone, without family in the room, specifically because someone else’s answers can mask what the client actually understands. If she’s uncertain, she’ll ask for a letter from the person’s doctor before moving forward. The diagnosis opens a conversation. It doesn’t decide…
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