ALZHEIMER'S QUESTION & ANSWER SHEET

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Assoc. Inc. 70 E. Lake Street, Suite 600 Chicago, Illinois 60601 What is Alzheimer's Disease? The most common form of dementing illness, Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain, causing impaired memory, thinking and behavior. The person with AD may experience confusion, personality and behavior changes, impaired judgment, and difficulty finding words, finishing thoughts or following directions. It eventually leaves its victims incapable of caring for themselves. What …

…usually begins in early middle age. Most people have some experience forgetting names, appointments or where they left their keys. However, normal forgetfulness differs from Alzheimer's Disease in some very important ways. The Alzheimer patient will frequently become lost in familiar surroundings; forget names of familiar people; have problems handing money; forget how to dress, read or write; and lose the ability to use the tools of daily living such as a key or radio.