Understanding Alzheimer's Disease - Understanding Health and Sickness Series

Alzheimer's disease has received growing attention in recent years because the affected population is growing quickly as life spans in America creep ever upward. As they near retirement, many Americans start to fear that any minor memory lapse-misplacing the keys or forgetting a name-might spell Alzheimer's. In reality such incidents are a normal part of the aging process. In Alzheimer's disease, such incidents progress to a point at which they interfere with normal daily activities on a regular basis, and memory loss becomes progressively more disabling.

This book is written for anyone interested in learning more about Alzheimer's disease-people who have it, their families and caregivers, professionals who serve such people, teachers, and anyone with a general interest in the disease. An important feature of this book is clear explanation of the basic biology of the disease. Here is information about who gets the disease, how it is diagnosed, and what happens to people who have it. A large section is devoted to the subject of caring for affected individuals, including legal and financial planning advice and pointers for finding outside support services. Existing treatments are discussed along with suggestions for handling many symptoms without drugs.

With its chapters on causes and on the search for treatments, this guide will be of interest to a wider section of the population than other books on the disease.