But people don't necessarily slip immediately into a dependent, incapacitated state. One of the many cruelties of the disease is that after the diagnosis, people are frequently fully aware of their fate. Mr. Rice, as the youngest member of the group, had added challenges. The six Alzheimer's sufferers in the group grew close, as did their families, who started to see one another socially. But for those with Alzheimer's, even small movements of time are unkind.
Participants can stay in the group for only as long as they can follow the discussion.
Two years after his diagnosis, Mr. Rice could no longer participate in the group. At home, he could no longer undertake the tasks he was filling his time with. During this stage, the Rices' daughter Anne, who was then at Haverford College, had particular trouble. Every time she came home for a holiday, there had been another leap downward in her father's condition. A wave of paranoia hit.