Get ready for our roving reporters, Sam and Sadie Silver, as they span the globe looking for interesting and fun senior news!Early Testing For Alzheimer’s - Why?
(photo courtesy of basykes and flickr)
Smart Genetics, a company located in Philadelphia, is ready to begin testing saliva samples for Alzheimer’s. The test, called the Alzheimer’s Mirror test will cost the consumer $399. The test is due to be released on the market in the spring of 2008. I had to sit and really digest the impact of this test. USA Today wrote an article about the new test which is where I first learned about it. Click Here to read the article. I am not one to stick my head in the sand and not want to know but what purpose will it serve to know ahead of time? My greater fear would not be my mental stability in finding out I will develop Alzheimer’s someday but rather what will the insurance companies do if they are able to obtain a copy of my test? Aren’t we fooling with fire here?
Insurance rates keep climbing higher and higher. What’s to stop an insurance company, if they ever get access to the tests, from not insuring me at all? Somethings are better left unknown and I firmly believe this test is one that needs to die on the vine. Please write some comments with other view points that might show me another way to look at this situation. I am open to suggestions but once again it’s a case of technology going too far and the future implications might not be realized until it’s too late. Any opinions out there?
Filed under: Alzheimer's and Dementia, Commentary
Some things are better left untouched.
I believe that tests of this nature can be extremely harmful to your quality of life at this moment.
What if they are wrong? What of they are right? Do you go living in fear whatever the outcome? Adding fuel to this fear would be “am I covered by my insurance” if they know?
Being an adoptee I struggled for years with the unknown of hereditary diseases. Living in fear of ..do I have this? Do I have that? Not a day went by where I didnt think..OMG I could prevent it …but prevent what?
I would go to the doctor for a normal check-up literally shaking…when I got to the “do you have any known family history” of this or that..”no”..Then they would always go …hmmmmm
Even insurance companies would go…hmmmm
adding to my worries….Do we or dont we insure him? Is it discrimination if we don’t? … Will he go to another company if we do?
Thank goodness an angel(friend) told me that the fear of the unkown was actually destroying the happiness in my life in the moment.
BUT What if I did know? Would my stress level be the same knowing that someday I could die of heart disease,etc.,etc?
The negativity of all this was actually affecting my health …giving insurance companies reason to believe there was some unforseen problem.
Once again my (angel) friend said “Grady stop,” “Appreciate the Gift of Life in the Here and Now”
I finally listened….
From that point on I went on living in the Here and Now. Today I am extremely happy and if it were my time to leave this earth today,tomorrow, even now.. I would leave a very fulfilled and happy man
Insurance companies having knowledge of your “supposed “genetic future and basing their coverage on this …obviously negates what insurance was originally intended for. Isn’t insurance for “insurance” of unforseen complications in the future? Is it not for peace of mind so you can have “assured here and now quality of life”
Once again tests I feel the public knowledge of these tests can have very bad complications on our happiness and quality of life in the “here and now”
Have a great day,
Grady