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Five years ago our family came personally face to face with Alzheimer's disease. My mother-in-law and father-in-law accepted our invitation to move in with our family so we could help care for my father-in-law who was going blind. As the process of remodeling began we realized that Mom was easily confused by various details that arose, but we attributed this to the stress of moving. Six months later we began to see other symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Mom kept losing her purse, forgetting family member's names, and began to rely heavily on Dad to remember just about everything. Over the course of four years, our family watched this once gregarious, intelligent, beautiful woman regress to a confused, illiterate, dependent soul totally unable to recognize or communicate with any of us.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Over 5 million people in the America have Alzheimer's disease. There are two types of AD; familial and sporadic. The familial AD is a rare type that effects only 10 percent of AD patients; only showing up before the age of 65, it is often called early on-set Alzheimer's Disease. Early on-set Alzheimer's disease forms when there is a gene mutation of the chromosomes. The children of familial AD patients have a 50/50 chance of inheriting this disease from their parent.

Sporadic Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of AD which develops after the age of 65. Inheritance does not seem to be a factor in sporadic AD, but the disease can show up in clusters of cases within an extended family members. Scientists have found an increased risk of patients developing the late on-set AD in relationship to a gene found on the chromosome 19. They have pinpointed a protein which carries cholesterol through the blood stream. This amyloid protein, a key ingredient in plaque, clogs the brain and kills the nerve cells; eventually destroying tissue. The AD patient's brain eventually shrinks affecting all brain's functions.

The first sign of Alzheimer's disease are usually problems with memory and reasoning skills, confusion when handing money and organizing their thoughts. AD patients have a difficult time relating socially; which is often an early symptom of the disease.

There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease but there are currently several medications on the market to help the mental function of AD patients. Typically, if a family member suspects that his spouse or parent has Alzheimer's disease they will want to take their loved

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