ALZHEIMER'S: PUBLIC REMAINS IGNORANT, FEARFUL

For years, Alzheimer's victims were shielded from the public eye. No one understood the disease, calling it senility or old age. Families didn't want to admit one of their own was ailing, forgetting where he lived and who his friends were.

A few scientific breakthroughs provided encouragement, but no cure is in sight. The American public is still somewhat ignorant about the disease, with some people even fearful of it.

Former President Ronald Reagan's announcement Saturday that he had Alzheimer's disease coincided with the start of National Alzheimer's Disease Month. Reagan, 83, was diagnosed as being in the early stages of the disease, and his doctors predicted his health would deteriorate.

He is one of four million Americans who suffer from Alzheimer's, a brain disorder that causes memory loss, disorientation and personality change.

Dr. Gloria Green, acting head of the Southeast Missouri State University department of nursing, said public perception that the disease is hopeless is almost on target.

"You can treat the secondary complications, like sleep disorders and urinary tract infections, but there's no treatment for Alzheimer's," she said. "As the patient's mental status deteriorates, he needs to be kept in a protective environment. There's not much else we can do, because there hasn't been a medical `ah-ha' yet."

Many long-term care facilities try to keep their Alzheimer's residents doing everyday tasks. The Cape Girardeau Nursing Center, for example, encourages them to fold baskets of clothes, wash dishes and set tables.

Some residents are more progressive than others.

"The public often thinks people in our Alzheimer's unit are there because they have lost their minds, but that isn't always true," said Lori Bainter, center administrator. "Some are very sociable and still have a life to live. Our unit is about letting them have a quality life."

She stressed the need for residents' families to stay involved, but said they need support of their own. Groups for families of Alzheimer's victims help provide that.

Often families deny there is a problem, said Teresa McCulloch, chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurses Association. While one drug, Cognex, can slow the progression of Alzheimer's in about 25 percent of patients, it may not be administered until the disease has progressed too far. Cognex also has several damaging side effects.

McCulloch said she hoped the Reagan family's announcement would lead to better understanding of Alzheimer's disease and the families who deal with it.

"People said years ago that the president might be having trouble with it, but it took a lot of courage for him to come forward and say it," she said. "I would hope that this results in more money for research. We need to find a cure because so many people need help."

Without that cure, the American Health Assistance Foundation predicts one out of every two individuals who were part of the baby boom will end up with Alzheimer's disease.

FACTS ON ALHEIMER'S

Four million Americans are victims of Alzheimer's disease

100,000 victims die and 250,000 news cases of Alzheimer's are diagnosed each year

10 percent of Americans 65 and older, 20 percent of those between 75 and 84 and almost 50 percent of those 85 years and older suffer from Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease can last from two to 15 years, with seven years being the average

One out of every three families in the U.S. is affected by Alzheimer's disease