Half of all current nursing home patients are affected, making AD a costly public health and long term care problem. Alzheimer's also affects the patient's caregivers, who become the second victims. Persons with AD often require 24-hour care and supervision, most of which is provided in the home by family and friends. In addition to the tremendous stress of providing care, families also bear most of the financial burdens of the disease as well. Benign, or normal, forgetfulness is part of the normal aging process and 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.