5. Some facts:

December 21, 2009 at 4:03 pm (Uncategorized)

Alzheimer’s disease affects about 5 million Americans, and that number is expected to more than triple – to 16 million – by 2050. It is only one of the several dementias that afflict the elderly, and sometimes the not so elderly, but it is the most common. About 60 to 75 percent of all dementias are thought to be Alzheimer’s. There is no blood or chemical test to identify the disease. The diagnosis is made by verbal and written tests of cognition, and by observation. Right now, there is no cure. There are drugs that slow the disease’s progression, but none to reverse it. It is always fatal. Most patients die within six to nine years of diagnosis, but some live much longer — up to 20 years. 

I found this photo of a book cover on Flickr. I think it must have been taken at a bookstore, right at shelf level. The caption accompanying the photo said, “This is so wrong.”