Alzheimer's In Office

In his new book about his dad, Ronald Reagan's youngest son claims his father had Alzheimer's disease while he was still in office. Interesting for several reasons. First doctors say Reagan did not begin developing Alzheimer's until several years after he left office. I have always doubted that though, which brings me to the second reason I find Ron Reagan' Jr's revelation to be an interesting one.

It is because I told my parents the very same thing about Reagan when he was about two years into his second term in office. My parents voted for and liked Reagan. I did not. So we often discussed his pros and cons of his administration, and when I used to explain to them why I thought Reagan had the beginnings of Alzheimer I was told that my comments were just sour grapes toward Reagan, not real insight.. Haha Once my dad smiled and said, in his own unique way, "Pay no attention to Jim, he's a nut".

Hmmm... He may have a point there, but that topic, my sanity, is not the issue today.What made me think Ronald Reagan was beginning to fall into Alzheimer's disease probably had allot to so with the fact that in my visits to my late Aunt at the nursing home where she lived her final years, I often had conversations with many of the residents there (they were lonely and wanted someone to talk to....some even called me their "son").

I noticed that many of the same characteristics of some of those who had Alzheimer's in the nursing home, Reagan also exhibited, though his was to a far to a lesser degree. Most striking was the sudden and momentary blank look that came upon Reagan's face from time to time when confronted with a question that required memory retrieval. He was far too often confused by simple observations or questions, and too delayed in his responses. That was striking, and I saw other signs that Reagan's mental abilities were in decline. It was not simply "old age" at work.

Reagan's son says his father would have resigned as president if he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's while in office, and that the president had no inkling that he was showing any sign of the disease (unlike his son, almost none of the Reagan insiders publicly say that Ronald Reagan had Alzheimer's while he was President). But what if today a president of leader like Reagan has signs of it and is diagnosed with even very early beginnings of Alzheimer's. What if the Pope were? Would they or should they resign from office? At what point is their effectiveness as leader impaired enough to make one question his or her fitness as the leader?

Modern medicine, now better able to make diagnosis' about a person's mental impairment, may soon bring this very question to us. It's an interesting dilemma.