Dr. Sandra Black: Alzheimer’s Rating Scale

Alzheimer’s disease experts are revamping the way doctors diagnose patients by creating a seven point rating scale based on cognitive and biological changes. Unveiled this week at the Alzheimer’s Association Conference, the change promotes a numerical system to assess the disease progression similar to one used in a cancer diagnosis. These changes come as new treatments, including blood tests, offer faster and more effective Alzheimer’s diagnosis. We reached Canada’s foremost expert on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research, Dr. Sandra Black, a senior scientist at Toronto’s Sunnybrook hospital who calls the recent developments ‘game changing.’

David Mills: Estate Planning Advice

The late Queen of Soul is offering a cautionary tale about estate planning. When Aretha Franklin died in 2018, it’s believed she left no will meaning the bulk of her fortune in real estate, jewelry, and music royalties would be split among her four sons. But after her death, not one but two handwritten wills were discovered and this month, two of her four sons went to court to contest one of them. A Michigan jury ruled the will from 2014, found in her couch, is valid and overrides one found four years earlier. We reached Toronto lawyer David Mills for some tips on estate planning.