My Dad was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2010. He had a brain scan done by a neurologist that detected a protein accumulation affecting his cognitive skills.  Dads symptom's grew slowly worse over time. It got to the point where he required a live-in aid to help my Mom take care of him 24 hours a day.  The work was exhausting on my Mom and she could not bear the burden alone.  The medication he was on wasn't very helpful.  The doctor encouraged activities that would engage the use of his brain.  He had always liked to do puzzles, like sudoku and crosswords, and they encouraged us to continue this activity.  As time progressed he would still try to do them, but it got harder and harder and eventually he couldn’t do them anymore. Later on even simple instructions, he could not follow.  He could not operate the microwave. He didn't know where the refrigerator was located.  The disease progressed to the point where it affected is mobility. He could no longer get up on his own and walk unaided.  Near the end my Dad required the assistance of someone strong enough to lift him into and out of bed.  My Dad passed away in November 2015.

The really sad part of this particular disease is that medical science has not progressed enough to provide any affective treatments to reverse this disease. Please consider joining my team at the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's®, the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.