VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm SarahLong.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty. In Novemberof nineteen-ninety-four, Ronald Reagan wrote a letter to theAmerican people. The former president shared the news that he hadAlzheimer's disease. He began what he called his journey into thesunset of his life. That ten-year journey ended on June fifth, atthe age of ninety-three.

VOICE ONE:

Today we have a special program about Alzheimer's disease, asseen through the life of a woman named Irene. We first told youabout Irene several years ago. Yet the story of her struggle remainstimely.

(THEME)

VOICE TWO:

Irene lives near Rochester, New York. She is her late eighties,but she is not always sure about her age. Sometimes she says she istwenty-seven. At other times she says she is ninety-seven. OftenIrene cannot remember names of people she has known for many years.Also, she struggles to find words to say what she wants to say. Andsometimes she forgets what she was talking about.

She is no longer permitted to drive a car. She almost had aterrible accident one day. She turned at a place where she shouldnot have turned. Her husband Dick told her she should not drivebecause it was too dangerous. This made some parts of Irene's lifedifficult.

She had to depend on others to drive her to the many communityactivities that she had always been involved in. Irene used to livea very full life. But then came new restrictions on her abilities,restrictions that seemed to increase almost daily. Today she livesin a nursing home where she receives care.

VOICE ONE:

Several years ago, Irene discovered that she had Alzheimer'sdisease. She is among more than four-million Americans sufferingfrom the disease. As the population of the United States growsolder, many millions more are expected to have the disease in yearsto come.

Doctors describe Alzheimer's disease as a slowly increasing braindisorder. It affects memory and personality -- those qualities thatmake a person an individual. There is no known cure for Alzheimer'sdisease. Victims of the disease slowly lose their ability to dealwith everyday life. At first they forget simple things, like wherethey put something, or a person's name.

As time passes they forget more and more. They forget the namesof their husband, wife, or children. Then they forget who they are.Finally they remember nothing. It is as if their brain dies beforethe rest of their body dies. Victims of Alzheimer's do die from thedisease, but not always right away.

VOICE TWO:

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of a disability ormental sickness called dementia. Dementia is the loss of thinkingability that is severe enough to interfere with daily activities. Itis not a disease itself. Instead dementia is a group of signs ofcertain conditions and diseases.

Some forms of dementia can be cured or corrected. This isespecially true if they are caused by drugs, alcohol, infection,sight or hearing problems, heart or lung problems, or head injury.

Other forms of dementia can be corrected by changing levels ofhormones or vitamins in the body. However, in victims of Alzheimer'sdisease, brain cells die and are not replaced.

As the ability to remember and think decreases, victims canbecome angry and violent. Often they shout and move about with nopurpose or goal. Media reports often tell about older people foundwalking in places far from their homes, not knowing where they are,or where they came from. Generally these people are suffering fromAlzheimer's disease.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Although Alzheimer's disease develops differently in each person,there are early signs of the disease that are common. Often, victimsof the disease may not recognize changes in themselves. Others seethe changes and struggle to hide them.

Probably the most common early sign of Alzheimer's disease isshort-term memory loss. Also, victims of the disease have increasingdifficulty learning and storing new information. Slowly, thinkingprocesses become more difficult. For example, they find themselvesunable to understand a joke, or cannot cook a meal, or do simpletasks.

Another sign of Alzheimer's is difficulty in solving easyproblems, such as what to do if food on a stove is burning. Also,people have trouble trying to follow directions or find the way tonearby places.

Another sign is victims struggling to find the right words toexpress thoughts or understand what is being discussed. Finally,people with Alzheimer's seem to change. Quiet people may becomenoisier and aggressive. They may easily become angry and lose theirability to trust others.

VOICE TWO:

Alzheimer's is considered an old people's disease. It normallyaffects people more than sixty-five years old. However, a few rarecases have been discovered in people younger than forty. The averageage of those found to have the disease is about eighty years old.

Alzheimer's disease is found in only about two percent of peoplewho are sixty-five.

But the risk increases to about twenty percent by age eighty. Byage ninety, half of all people are found to have signs of thedisease. Alzheimer's affects people of all races equally. However,women are more likely than men to develop the disease. This ispartly because women generally live longer than men.

There is no simple test to tell if someone has Alzheimer'sdisease. Doctors who suspect a person has the disease must test apatient for many other disabilities first. If the tests fail to showthat other disabilities are responsible for the problems, then adoctor suspects that Alzheimer's disease is responsible.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

In his book "The Notebook," Nicholas Sparks calls Alzheimer'sdisease "a barren disease, as empty and lifeless as a desert. It isa thief of hearts and souls and memories." British writer IrisMurdoch, who died of Alzheimer's disease, said it was a dark andterrible place.

Irene, also a writer, refused to surrender to that opinion.Instead, she began writing a book about her experience. She alsowrote a short letter giving advice to those suffering fromAlzheimer's. She wrote that she lives with the disease "hopefully."

She wrote: "We know that negative emotions can be harmful tohealth, and a strong will to live may well strengthen the body'sdefense system. So, it seems wise to not spend time looking into thefuture, but to get the most from each day as it comes."

At the end of her letter, Irene wrote about care givers. She saidshe greatly honors those who take care of Alzheimer's patients,because that job is so very hard. And that is one of the most tragicthings about Alzheimer's disease – care for the patient becomes moreand more difficult.

Often the caregiver's help is rejected, as Alzheimer's victimsgrow more and more distant and more difficult to control. And often,the caregiver is a family member.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Ronald Reagan was probably the most famous person suffering fromAlzheimer's disease. In his letter in nineteen-ninety-four,America's fortieth president wrote about the fears and difficultiespresented by Alzheimer's. He said that he and his wife, Nancy, hopedthat their public announcement would lead to greater understandingof the condition among individuals and families affected by it.

Mister Reagan shared something in common with Irene. In theirletters, they each expressed hope, a desire to continue their livesas they had in the past, and concern for those who must care forthem.

VOICE ONE:

Researchers are not sure what causes Alzheimer's disease. Butthey are working to find ways to treat the disease, and to cure orprevent it. There have been some hopeful developments in recentyears. Still, there is nothing yet that can stop the disease or easethe pain of those caring for victims of Alzheimer's.

Today, Irene's book about her own experience remains unfinished.

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Oliver Chanler and produced byMario Ritter. This is Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for more newsabout science in Special English on the Voice of America.