1 Alzheimer's Disease Alzheimer's disease is the most common dementia form which is accompanied by memory disorders, diction violation

and decreased ability to perceive information and perform simple tasks (Cummings et al., 2002). Specialists claim that one person out of ten who have crossed the 60-year milestone is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Recently, however, the disease affects even those who are younger than 40 (Cummings et al., 2002). Alzheimer's disease can have devastating effects not only on sick people, but on their relatives. This is an insidious disease that progresses awfully slowly and gives a lot of time to everyone who, in one way or another, is connected with it. It gives time to think about the future experiencing a lot of fear and uncertainty. Of course, some special training might help, but in reality no one really is ready to cope with Alzheimer's disease when it reaches the last stage. Family members and friends should do everything possible to calm and strengthen the spirit of a sick person who may experience feelings of depression and anxiety in moments of consciousness clarification. It is difficult to realize that your memory is gradually breaking down and, in fact, there is nothing that can be done with this. Undoubtedly, strong social support is vital at this time. Treatment of Alzheimer's disease and its symptoms should be intense. However, ultimately, the disease still destroys the mind of a sick man to such an extent that a person completely ceases to be the human who he/she had once been. Of course, family members face a lot of difficulties in accepting this fact. If the burden becomes too heavy, relatives of patients are recommended to talk to priest or join a support group for victims of Alzheimer's disease. In such a way, they obtain possibility to communicate with other people who experience the same difficulties and can share them between each other. Such feelings often help to cope with this problem (Gitlin et al., 2005).

2 As the disease progresses, patients will require more attention. Finally, the relatives will have to devote all their time to caring for patients. Many relatives of patients with Alzheimer's disease try to care for their loved ones independently as they do not want to give their close people in charge of medical facilities. This is understandable, but a person should not feel guilty when looking for help from somebody else, especially when it is about specialists. It is apparent that nobody can perform these functions twenty four hours a day and seven days a week without experiencing a lot of problems with their own health (Gitlin et al., 2005). It is crucial that relatives take care about themselves. They should not undermine their own health while caring for a severely ill patient. When trying to do everything possible to ensure that needs of a patient were met, people forget about their own life very often. At the very least, someone can be hired to make sure that a sick relative is supervised every day for several hours in a time when you are away from home or doing your own affairs. While caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease the most important feature is patience. Firstly, a caring person needs to develop a certain mode of the day for a sick person in a way that could somehow organize already disorganized patient's life. It is necessary to provide the patient the opportunity to do some exercise to which he/she was once most accustomed. This will help to ensure that people will feel more confident. Furthermore, it is important to help patients to keep sense of their own identity for a long time as much as possible. People should feel free to talk about illness only when a patient does not hear it. Otherwise, it can affect their feelings of increased anxiety and inferiority. It is recommended that the patient receives some useful physical exercises. However, exercise choice still should be consulted with a doctor. In short, relatives should give as much as possible time for a patient to lead his/her usual lifestyle. However, it should be mentioned that during the course of the disease the

3 patient's interests can be dramatically changed. Therefore, their behavior should be closely monitored. Thus, a patient should be provided with an opportunity to engage in occupations which interest him/her in this period of Alzheimer's disease development. It is not necessary to emphasize once again when a man, for example, can not fulfill some task because any psychological stress will only lead to deterioration. It is worth to try to draw some of the situations into a joke, but so that the patient does not feel that people laugh at him. Patient care and supervision are extremely important because of the incurable and degenerative disease nature (Gold et al., 1995). This role is often imposed on a spouse or close relative. Such a heavy burden is strongly reflected in the social, psychological, economic and other aspects of human life engaged in patient care. As Alzheimer's disease is incurable and it progressively negates a person's ability to take care of themselves, caring for the sick, in fact, forms the basis of therapy and deserves special attention throughout the illness.

4 Works Cited Cummings J., Frank J., Cherry D., Kohatsu N., Kemp B., Hewett L., Mittman B. "Guidelines for Managing Alzheimer's Disease: Part I. Assessment". American Family Physician. 2002. 65 (11). Print. Gitlin L., Hauck W., Dennis M., Winter L. "Maintenance of Effects of the Home Environmental Skill-building Program for Family Caregivers and Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders". J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. March. 2005: 368374. Print. Gold D., Reis M., Markiewicz D., Andres D. "When Home Caregiving Ends: a Longitudinal Study of Outcomes for Caregivers of Relatives with Dementia". J Am Geriatr Soc January. 1995: 106. Print.