Is Genetic Testing For You?

By Pamela D. Wilson, The Care Navigator, CSA, MS, BS/BA, CG

Would you really want to know if you could? Genetic testing is sort of like tossing the dice, winning or losing. If you had a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's Disease, heart disease or cancer how would knowing this affect your life? Would it make you worry on a daily basis, hastening your end of life by adding stress to your previously relaxed and uneventful life? Would it allow you to make a long term plan for your future and the future of your family? Is there a benefit to knowing?

Consumer genetic testing companies are popping up all over the place. Most use saliva samples for analysis and either mail or email you information after the analysis is completed. Some have genetic counselors available by phone for consultations to explain the details of the test.

What's unknown is whether a genetic test can ruin your chances of buying health insurance at least for now, until reform is finalized and pre-existing conditions become a dinosaur of the past. And, the tests can be pricy, anywhere from $500-1000.

Some companies offer a social networking component by providing ancestry information locating persons within geographic or ethnic groupings. Members can contact each other to compare information. Companies offering such tests include Navigenics and 23andMe if you're one of the brave souls who really wants to know.

For more services available visit Guardianship, Financial Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney, Personal Representative, Case Manager or Care Navigator and Move Manager Services.

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