The admission of Alzheimer's patients to hospital inpatient psychiatric units

Alzheimer's Disease presents extreme challenges not only to the individuals afflicted with it and their families, but also to both our legal and healthcare systems. The nature of the disease is such that current legal standards and requirements simply fail to function in an appropriate manner. So too, the health system currently is not in a position to handle the anticipated influx of Alzheimer's patients over the next several decades. This Article examines some of the challenges presented by this disease, and suggests several possible methods to improve our response to it.