Quick disclaimers. I am late to the news that Chuck Klosterman was designated the Ethicist for the NYT in June. Also, this post is only tangential to estate planning. However, in the interest of posting every day during Estate Planning Awareness Week, and in showing some love for Klosterman (one of my favorite contemporary writers), I thought I would mention one of his columns.
The question he addressed is whether a family should tell their mom whose greatest fear is suffering from Alzheimer's that she has the disease. Her doctor has only told her she has mild dementia but has told the family the true diagnosis. Klosterman answered yes so that she can have final meaningful conversations with family members before the disease advances, the same as she would if she were dying from cancer. I concur with Klosterman.
In a piece of irony, in a recent Grantland column, he wrote that he certainly would not be comfortable in a world where his worldview dictated reality. Now, with his current position, he has the opportunity to make his worldview reality (and presumably increase his level of discomfort).
