(KAIR)--There is perhaps no crueler disease than Alzheimer, one that takes the memories of a person and makes it so they cannot recognize even their closest loved ones. Ralph Dowell is a social worker at Atchison hospital who works with Alzheimers patients and their families, and he says that over 6 million Americans are currently suffering from the disease. He says that memory loss is a common signof Alzheimers, but just because you may forget things from time to time does not mean you have it.
Unfortunately, the news for patients and families effected by Alzheimers is not very good. There is no known cure for the disease. In fact, out of the top ten fatal diseases in this country, Alzheimers is the only one without some kind of treatment that stops or delays the progress. However, researchers all over the world are hard at work trying to find a cure.

Dowell further states that the burden placed on families is not light, and an Alzheimers diagnosis can change their life forever. Those family members who are not used to doing certain jobs around the home may find themselves doing something they are not used to since the person that normally does those tasks can no longer do them due to the disease. As it progresses, family members may find themselves working just to keep their loved ones safe as they forget where they are and can wander off at a moment's notice.

Dowell says that the best resource he can recommend is www.alz.org, which is the website for the Alzheimers association, a national group that is working to support patients and their families, as well as working to find a cure for the disease.

He also leads a support group for families of Alzheimers patients at the Atchison hospital on the fourth Monday of every month at 1:30 in the afternoon.