Understanding

Alzheimer’s Disease
Table of Contents

About this booklet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

What is Alzheimer’s disease? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

What happens when you

have Alzheimer’s disease? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Signs of Alzheimer’s disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

See your doctor early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Other illnesses that cause

Alzheimer-like signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Treatment for Alzheimer’s disease . . . . . . . . . 7

What about research on

Alzheimer’s disease? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Is there help for caregivers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Where can I get more information? . . . . . . . 11
1

About this booklet

Do you have questions about Alzheimer’s disease? Please read

this booklet. It tells you about:

• Alzheimer’s disease (pronounced Allz-high-merz di-zeez)

• The signs of Alzheimer’s disease

• Why it is so important to see your doctor early

• Treatment for the disease

• How to get help if you are caring

for someone with Alzheimer’s disease
2

Helen’s story:

“I have Alzheimer’s disease. It took me a long time

before I could even say the words. When the doctor first

told me, I felt like my life was over. And for a while, I

did get very depressed. But, my doctor told me about

medicine I could take. She said it would slow down my

memory loss for a while. I know it’s not a cure. Still, it

feels good to do something. Also, my family has been

wonderful. They are helping me plan for the care I’ll

need. I have decided to take each day as it comes. I want

to live my life as fully as I can.”

Family members can help you plan for your care.
3

John’s story:

“I have friends whose parents have Alzheimer’s

disease. I never thought it would happen to

someone in my family. It catches you by surprise.

It takes some time to figure out what you need to

do. Mostly, I was upset and worried. I had so many

questions. What is Alzheimer’s disease? Can it be

treated? How is the disease going to affect my

father? Will I be able to care for him? Where can I

go for help?”

This booklet will help answer your questions

about Alzheimer’s disease.

You may have lots of questions about Alzheimer’s disease.
4

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is an illness

of the brain. It causes large

numbers of nerve cells in the

brain to die. This affects your

ability to remember things and

think clearly. Doctors don’t

know what causes the disease. 

They do know that it usually

begins after age 60 and nearly

half of people age 85 and older

may have Alzheimer’s. However,

it is not a normal part of aging.

The disease often starts slowly. In fact, some people don’t

know they have Alzheimer’s disease. They blame their

forgetfulness on old age. However, over time, their memory

problems get much worse. People with Alzheimer’s lose the

ability to drive a car, cook a meal, or even read a newspaper.

They may get lost easily and find even simple things

confusing. Some people become worried, angry, or violent.

At some point, people with Alzheimer’s disease may need

someone to take care of all their needs (feeding, bathing,

etc.) at home or in a nursing home. 

What happens when you have

Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease usually

affects people over 60.
5

Signs of Alzheimer’s disease

It’s really important to know the signs of

Alzheimer’s disease. If you know the signs,

you can get help right away. Listed below are

the early signs of Alzheimer’s and the later

signs that show up after you have had the

disease for a while.

Early signs

• Trouble remembering

recent events.

• Problems remembering names

of people and places.

• Trouble solving simple

math problems.

Later signs

• Forget how to brush your teeth

or comb your hair.

• Cannot remember the names

of common things such as

desk, house, apple, etc.

• Wander away from home. Trouble remembering recent

events may be an early sign

of Alzheimer's disease.
6

See your doctor early

If you or someone in your family thinks your

forgetfulness is getting in the way of your normal

routine, it’s time to see your doctor. Seeing the

doctor early means you can find out what’s

causing you to be forgetful. If you have

Alzheimer’s, finding the disease early gives you

and your family more time to talk about and plan

for your treatment and care. 

Your doctor may do the following things

to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease:

• Check on your general health

• Ask questions about your

family’s health

• Talk to someone in your family

about your memory problems

• Ask how well you can do

everyday things like driving,

writing a check, and talking with

friends and family

• Test your memory, problem

solving, counting, and

language skills

• Do medical tests — such as

checking your blood and urine 

• Do brain scans, also called 

CAT scans, that show pictures

of your brain

See your doctor as soon as you

begin to have memory

problems.
7

Other illnesses that cause Alzheimer-like signs

You need to know that there are some illnesses and problems that

may look like Alzheimer’s, but are caused by other problems.

These include:

• Bad reaction to certain medicines

• Depression

• Not eating enough healthy foods, or too

few vitamins and minerals in your body

• Brain tumors

• Blood vessel disease

• Thyroid problems

Some of these illnesses can be treated. Once treated, your

confusion and memory loss should go away. 

Treatment for

Alzheimer’s disease

There are medicines that can treat the

symptoms of Alzheimer’s. However, there

is no cure. Some medicines keep your

memory loss and other symptoms from

getting worse for a time. These medicines

work best if Alzheimer’s disease is found

early. Other medicines work to help you

sleep better or feel less worried and

depressed. These medicines don’t directly

treat the disease. They do help you feel

more comfortable.

The point is to get

checked out by

your doctor. Don’t

let fear stop you

from seeing your

doctor. You can

get help. 

Some medications can help

treat Alzheimer’s disease.
8

What about research on

Alzheimer’s disease?

Researchers are working very hard to find new

and better treatments for this disease. They are

doing research with people who have different

kinds of memory problems to learn the best

way to treat Alzheimer’s. They also are looking

at how to prevent Alzheimer’s, slow the

disease, and reduce the symptoms. 

Clinical trials

Clinical trials are research studies that help

doctors learn which treatments work best.

Healthy people and people with Alzheimer’s

may be able to take part in clinical trials.

To find out more about these

studies, contact the

Alzheimer’s Disease

Education and Referral

(ADEAR) Center at

1-800-438-4380, or visit the

ADEAR Center Website at

www.alzheimers.nia.nih.gov.

You can learn more about clinical
9

Is there help for caregivers?

Yes. If you are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s

disease, you may feel overwhelmed. It can take all your

time and energy. There is help for you. Learn about support

groups, adult day-care programs, home healthcare services,

and other helpful resources. You need to take care of

yourself in order to take care of someone with Alzheimer’s

disease. The Alzheimer’s Association has chapters across

the country that can help. Also, the ADEAR Center has two

booklets that may be helpful: “The Caregiver Guide” 

and “Home Safety.” 

See page 11 for more information and resources. 

Caregivers need help and
10

Use this page to write down

questions for your doctor

Summary - Important things to

remember about Alzheimer’s disease

• Know the signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

• See your doctor early.

• There is treatment for the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

• There is help for caregivers.
11

Alzheimer’s Association

225 N. Michigan Avenue,

Suite 1700

Chicago, IL 60601

Phone: 1-800-272-3900

Website: www.alz.org

Where can I get more information?

Contact the following organizations to learn about

support groups, services, publications on Alzheimer’s

disease, research centers, and studies:

The Alzheimer’s Association

is a nonprofit organization

offering information and

support services to people

with Alzheimer’s disease and

their families. Call to find

out where to get help in

your area.
12

Call for more information on

Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center

P.O. Box 8250

Silver Spring, MD 20907-8250

Phone: 1-800-438-4380

Website: www.alzheimers.nia.nih.gov

Eldercare Locator

Phone: 1-800-677-1116

Website: www.eldercare.gov

Families often need

information about community

resources, such as home care,

adult day care, and nursing

homes. Contact the Eldercare

Locator to find these

resources in your area. The

Eldercare Locator is a service

of the Administration on

Aging. It is funded by the

Federal Government. 

The Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center

offers information on diagnosis, treatment, patient care, caregiver

needs, long-term care, and research related to Alzheimer’s disease.

Staff can refer you to local and national resources. The Center is a

service of the National Institute on Aging, part of the Federal

Government’s National Institutes of Health. 
For copies of this booklet, contact:

Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center

P.O. Box 8250

Silver Spring, MD 20907-8250

Phone: 1-800-438-4380

Website: www.alzheimers.nia.nih.gov
U.S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service

National Institutes of Health

National Institute on Aging 

NIH Publication No. 06-5441

June 2007