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My father, a seemingly healthy man had approached his mid sixties quite gracefully. He was as healthy as a horse. He walked everywhere, sometimes as much as 8-10 miles in one day. He could engage in a deep meaningful conversation with one, for hours. His memory wasn't as sharp as it used to be, but he remembered what was important...or so we thought.

Then it happened. One day my sister set foot in his independent senior citizen high rise building and went up to his apartment. She discovered piles of clothes that had not been laundered in weeks. She also found empty cupboards that had been bare for some time, as well. A single stick of butter remained in his refrigerator. The countertops were covered with boxes of cereal, crackers and other foods that were noticeably stale. Thus it became apparent that he had not been eating for quite some time.

Because he had visited our homes regularly, we had seen him on a perpetual basis. He appeared to be considerably robust, in good physical health. So we never thought that he wasn't eating. In addition to seeing him, we often spoke to him on the phone. All this time, not realizing what was taking place inside his mind. By 2004, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Realizing that we had failed, we abruptly took action to evoke the proper care. Even the simplest tasks, my father forgot to do.

Amidst dirty clothes and stale food, were mounds of paperwork including several unpaid accounts. Many of the accounts had developed into a delinquent status. Unpaid life insurance and several outstanding medical bills were amongst a slew of neglected papers.

I was given the unpleasant task of sorting through piles of his medical bills. What normally would have been simply mind-boggling turned into a task nearly impossible to accomplish. It wasn't enough that both my sisters and I had to clean out his apartment. We were overwhelmed with trying to unload numerous possessions that my father had accumulated throughout the years. In addition we were faced with trying to understand an illness that we knew very little about, searching for premium medical care, researching medications and alternative methods to try and slow down the rapid progression of this illness and the effects it had on my father. Furthermore, we all juggled full-time employment and my older sister and I had families that we needed to tend to, as well.

I realize that millions are faced with this very task day to day. It can happen to anyone and is very likely to happen to most

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