Dealing with Dementia: Protect yourself when dismissing an employee because of mental decline.

• Author: Sturgeon, Wina
• Position: Business Trends

In late 2017, just before his death, news of Gary Otts diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease was finally made public. But Ott had noticed symptoms of the disease as early as 2013, and friends and employees began to notice changes in his behavior by 2015. As the illness progressed, a public battle played out over who would be given legal guardianship of Ott--and how the former Salt Lake County Recorder was allowed to remain in office for so long after employees and other government officials began to notice red flags in his behavior.

Ott's situation was incredibly complicated, with some employees trying to cover for his increasing inability to perform his duties, and a bitter fight between his family and his domestic partner over his guardianship. But the situation raises questions for private-sector organizations as well. What is the compassionate, prudent and legally sound response when supervisors and co-workers begin to notice troubling changes in an employee's behavior?

In the workplace

Not all situations are so high profile. Roberta (not her real name) worked as an attendant at a gas station for more than a decade. The station was part of a grocery chain. Many store customers made a habit of stopping there for gas when shopping, drawn by Roberta's friendly, efficient service and ability to remember customer's names.

But as she aged over the years, Roberta began changing. She no longer remembered the names of regulars. She was slower, sometimes inaccurate when counting money. Her smiles stopped. Roberta acted stressed out, sometimes frantically confused. It escalated to the point where she needed to call for help for simple tasks like turning on the pumps or entering gas discount coupons offered by the supermarket. One day, Roberta was gone.

Despite Roberta's apparent decline, it's likely that the decision to dismiss her was painful for everyone involved. It's a hard decision to let go of someone who has been loyal and part of the business family for many years. But small businesses rarely have the slack to absorb an employee who can no longer perform their work.

It's helpful to start addressing the situation when it becomes obvious, rather than waiting until it has a financial impact on the company or begins to overly burden the employee's co-workers. One good way to begin is by mentioning the possibility of retirement. Another resolution is to cut back on the hours of a problematic employee, while finding another employee to fill those...