Health Affairs dedicates its April 2014 issue to “The Long Reach of Alzheimer’s Disease.” The articles cover all aspects of Alzheimer’s, from research challenges, to legislative agendas, to end-of-life care and advance directives. Supporting this special issue is an extraordinary post to the Health Affairs Blog by Ellen Goodman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and co-founder of The Conversation Project, whose goal is to ensure that people’s wishes for end-of-life care are expressed and respected. Goodman tells the personal, moving story of her sister’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis – arguing passionately about the importance of having these crucial conversations while they’re still possible. She echoes one of The Conversation Project’s core mottos: “It’s always too soon until it’s too late.”