The ways in which dementia may not always pose a threat in the present day

Joan Presky is worried about dementia. Her mother lived with Alzheimer’s for 14 years. The last seven were in Memory Care residences, and their mother’s grandfather also developed dementia.

“I’m 100% sure this is my future,” said Presky, 70, a retired lawyer in Thornton, Colorado.

Last year, she spent almost a day with a neuropsychologist and received extensive reviews. The results show that her short-term memories are doing well – she turns out to be “shocking and comforting” – and she tested above average in all cognitive categories.

She’s not relieved. “We saw what Alzheimer’s disease is,” she said of her mother’s long decline. “The memories of what she went through are profound to me.”