Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that is growing in numbers every single year. People over the age of 65 are the ones that need to worry most about getting it, yet some people that are younger can still get it. This disease is a terrible disease and can be scary and frustrating. Doctors have a very difficult time diagnosing it because there are so many things that are similar to this disease. This disease not only destroys the lives of the victims, but also can ruin the lives of the people that take care of them. At this time there is not a cure, but many scientists are working very hard to find a cure for this terrible disease.
             Today there are almost 4 million Americans that suffer from Alzheimer's disease. It is estimated that this disease will claim 14 million victims by the year 2050. Experts believe this because of greater life expectancy (Beck 36).
             Meanwhile, almost 4 percent of Americans beween the ages of 65 to 74 will get this disease. For the people between the ages of 75 through 84 it is expected to strike ten percent, and people over the age of 85 have a 17 percent chance of contracting this horrifying disease (Larson 517). It can also strike the lives of people in their forties or fifties, although this is not that common (Fish 19).
             Undeniably, Alzheimer's is an extremely terrible disease to get because one loses memory, self-pride, and independence to care for one's self. Because so little information is known about this disease by the public and even medical experts, it is described as a "silent disease" (Frank 13).
             In 1906 a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist by the name of Dr. Alois Alzheimer discovered and named this disease. He had a female patient that was experiencing memory loss, confusion, depression, and hallucinations. She died in a nursing home at the age of 55. Dr. Alzheimer wanted to conduct an autopsy to see if he could figure out exactly what had caused her mysterious death...