Cognitive loss in later life: The challenge for family and community by Stephen C. Brewer, MD, ABFM

As we get older, the risk of developing diseases increases and our ability to effectively deal with those diseases goes down. All debilitating chronic illnesses are difficult to endure, but nonreversible dementias--such as Alzheimer's disease--are some of the hardest. As a family physician, I have followed many patients as they have gracefully aged through the years, and I have helped them deal with the slow changes that can occur in the body and the mind. One of the more difficult changes is a decline in mental function. If a person's memory declines, it becomes more than an issue with the patient--it becomes a family issue. Helping a family manage an individual who may have a chronic debilitating or potentially fatal disease can be challenging, but it is essential in order to provide the best care and quality of life for that person.