Reagan Had Alzheimer's As President, Says Son

Onset of Alzheimer'­s is as long as 20 years (and perhaps longer) before the first symptoms become apparent to those around the patient.  

Alzheimer'­s patients go to great efforts to try to hide evidence of their mental decline, that they may be having problems with their memory, that there might be a problem with their thought processes, and this was true during and before Alzheimer'­s became a household word.  This was true before Reagan was diagnosed, before his time in the White House.  

Reagan's mental decline was known not just within the White House during his presidency­, but the diagnosis of Alzheimer'­s was suspected by those who had experience with Alzheimer'­s (both by  profession­als who treated Alzheimer'­s patients and by families/f­riends of Alzheimer'­s patients).

On video somewhere is a 1984 photo-op session in Santa Barbara where a reporter asked Reagan about arms control talks with the Soviets.  Reagan was visibly confused, and couldn't form words.  Nancy, who was standing beside him, said in a low, almost inaudible voice, "We're doing the best we can", which Reagan then repeated.

After Reagan left office, it was reported that his mental decline while in the White House was of concern to some of Reagan's aides, and the senior staff brought it up with James Baker, about what to do.  Baker told them he would attend one of their meetings with Reagan, to observe.  Apparently Reagan managed to keep it together during the meeting, which is not uncommon -- Alzheimer'­s families report similar experience­s of gathering the family to observe, and patients manage to perform well and hide the problems they're having.  

After that meeting, Baker told the staff that "The boss is fine" and nixxed any further need to concern anyone with the aide's doubts.

When that story was reported, nobody in the media thought to ask, "When did James Baker get a medical degree?"  or, "Shouldn't there be a protocol for when presidents are suspected of no longer being compes mentes?"  Or, what about pre-determ­ining a candidate'­s mental fitness for the office of the presidency­?  

The fourth estate has been failing the public for decades, and has only been doing a worse job as time goes by.

Solutions include presidents being given mental status exams in addition to their annual physicals.  And before anyone becomes a candidate for the presidency­, he/she ought to have had to undergo a mental status exam (an IQ test wouldn't be a bad idea either).
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost