Everyone is afraid to say anything.
It�s been evident for a long time that Jack, founder of the company, is no longer competent. Yet, he still goes to work every day.
His caregiver, posing as a �personal assistant� takes him. Jack spends the time wandering around and upsetting the workers there. He scribbles meaninglessly. He forgets where he is going. He says inappropriate things.
This is a real scenario, probably played out in many other family-owned businesses and successful companies across our country.
Men and women who were once sharp, and formed or ran corporations have lost it. Dementia, strokes, and the ravages of time have stolen their abilities. Yet no one has the courage to make any changes. Or even bring it up.
In Jack�s case, his wife sought advice. She was feeling a degree of panic. Jack is to the point that he wanders outside his house without his pants on, or is so disruptive in a restaurant that he is asked not to return. Yet the charade of going to work continues. He was once revered at the company he ran for decades. Now, he is like a ghost of his former self. Everyone is paralyzed by not knowing what to do.
His wife found AgingParents.com, and we got down to business right away.
The first step I took in working with his distraught wife was to review the medical paperwork. Was there a diagnosis? Yes, Alzheimer�s Disease (news to her). He is also progressively losing his ability to form words. How is it that he is still going to work? No one can figure out exactly what else to do with him. Going to work has been his habit for so many years.
We formed a plan, together with his caregiver agency supervisor, to help his family to make a choice: either bring full time services into the home, or place him where he can get the services he needs every day. They�re leaning in the direction of choosing a beautiful assisted living facility with memory care as a specialty. Getting him to accept the transition will take teamwork and considerable additional planning.
I suggested that the family and company immediately arrange for Jack�s �retirement party�. Jack�s memory is so bad, he won�t remember that it�s coming up. The company must move forward right away to follow the plans for the successor to take over the helm. Whatever resistance may come up must be overcome. The doctors who evaluated him recently stated flatly that testing shows he has lost his ability to reason and make judgments. He should not be allowed to make financial decisions or act as a CEO in any way.
Jack is like a lot of other powerful people in business who have never contemplated losing their mental abilities. No preparation for this moment has been done by the company itself. The legal documents that spell out how the company was structured will describe how Jack�s role will change. �In the event of disability or death� of the CEO��it reads. Well, folks, Alzheimer�s Disease is definitely a disability, especially when it�s in the stage Jack is in, which is not at the beginning.
With Alzheimer�s Disease, and Jack�s slow but steady decline, it was time to act much sooner. Jack is and was subject to manipulation, and risks making irrational financial decisions. Failure to address this kind of problem can destroy a business.
If this is happening to you in your company, please have the courage to speak up.
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