Receiving the news that there was no amyloid in my brain provided relief beyond expression. If the results had been different, however, I would have accepted them with the knowledge that I could plan for my ultimate demise in a way that would work for me and be helpful to my loved ones.

Alan N. Frankel

Bryn Mawr, Pa.

To the Editor:

“Happily Married for 60 Years. Then Alzheimer’s. And a Gun.” (front page, Dec. 29) was devastating. It reinforced the reality that too few people realize there are humane and legal ways to reduce needless suffering, even for somebody with dementia.

All mentally competent adults have the right to document that they want to forgo medical treatments if they get dementia. Their designated health care proxy can then carry out their wishes, significantly shortening the time they endure the most debilitating stages of dementia.

If you are a mentally competent adult, you can create a dementia directive and attach it to your advance directive.

Kim Callinan

Washington

The writer is president and chief executive of Compassion & Choices.

To the Editor:

I read with sadness and more than a bit of dismay the disturbing portrait of a loving husband caring for his wife afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. The burdens on caregivers of people living with dementia are well documented: depression, social isolation, worsening physical health and, in some cases, resistance to accepting help.

There is much we can do to relieve this burden for such families. I wish the article had referred to the exceptional work that well-informed physicians, nurses, social workers and mental health specialists do each and every day to identify and support families that are having an especially difficult time coping with the demands of dementia caregiving.

It is tragic that this family did not benefit from more effective professional dementia support interventions, which must be made available in every community, for every family in need.