The length of time people live with AD has profound emotional and financial impact on their families and caregivers. People with AD tend to live with their families until the most advanced stages of the disease. However, many families find that at some point in time, they need to place elderly relatives with advanced Alzheimer's in a nursing home. The greatest risk factor for AD is age, followed by family history of the disease. With few exceptions, researchers believe AD is not caused by a single factor or gene, but by a combination of factors acting together.
AD is a chronic disease.
There is no cure for the it, but there are effective treatments to manage the symptoms and slow the progression. Many families often discount the symptoms of dementia as a normal process of aging, but dementia is not a natural part of aging. Most older Americans never experience significant memory loss or any form of dementia. Alzheimer's Disease usually begins after age 65, although AD has been diagnosed in individuals under age 65. Dementia can also be caused by an adverse reaction to a medication or by alcohol use.