If you know someone with Alzheimer's disease or other form of
dementia, this information may help you understand the illness.
- Alzheimer's disease kills brain cells, causing them to shrink
or die. When people have this disease, they forget how to do
familiar things, they don't recognize the people they love, they
have difficulty understanding a conversation or they may act in
an unusual manner, for example, pacing around a room. These
changes occur over many years and get worse over time. These
actions are not their fault. Alzheimer's disease makes people
act in this way. - Right now, no one knows what causes
Alzheimer's disease and there is no cure. There are drugs that
can help with some of the symptoms of the disease so people are
less anxious and can maintain their independence for a longer
period of time. But, eventually individuals will lose many of
their abilities and will need to rely upon others to take care
of them. - Alzheimer's disease was named after a scientist
called Dr. Alois Alzheimer who di