Revisiting 'The Mother Who Changed: A Story of Dementia'

Earlier this year, we shared the story of one family’s dispute over a loved one with dementia. That story, originally reported in The New York Times Magazine by Katie Engelhart, won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing this past week. Today, we're revisiting Katie’s story - and the question at the heart of it: When cognitive decline changes people, should we respect their new desires?
Guest: Katie Engelhart (www.nytimes.com/by/katie-enge...) , a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine.
Background reading:
• The Mother Who Changed: A Story of Dementia (www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/ma...)
• Katie Englehart has reported on dementia for years, and one image of a prisoner haunts her (www.nytimes.com/2023/08/11/op...) .

[@MayorMcC666]

more reaching out to the "bad guys" please, good stuff

[@ivanalejandro-ct]

so good

[@SarahMcCollumLandicho]

What type of doctor diagnoses dementia

[@juancarlosv5136]

Haunted by the story, I can't stop listening 'til the end. It made me a lot of reflections

[@Edo9River]

Yeah, my family’s been been saying that I am showing signs of this…😊😊😊

[@opengrapefruit1534]

her children should have had all the rights all along because she said so when she was healthy. What the mother has said after she became ill with dementia does not matter

[@belindaevans6915]

The kids left her there alone with no control over her own resources. Is her happiness of no value? Were they just worried about the money they would get when she died?

[@deecocoa]

The whole point of their reporting on this is to show that it's not so clear cut. There isn't a hard-line where dementia starts and they are no longer cognizant at all. Why should her autonomy be stripped away for the sake of her daughters desires if it's no longer in her best interest. The judges decision shows how nuanced these cases can be.