No cure.

Billions of dollars were being spent to study this disease, new theories cropped up every day, and new drugs were being tested. The appearance of a new drug, Aricept, made a huge difference in treating the disease. Unfortunately, all drugs were currently only palliative, no cure exists for Alzheimer’s. The price of care continues to go up: in-home care and Assisted Living Facilities were getting more and more expensive, even though professional Caregivers were still paid close to minimum wage. Since Medicare didn’t cover most of these facilities and care options, the resources of both young and old - financial, physical, and emotional - would be strained even more. While my father’s story was nearing its end, others were only beginning the long chronicle of illness and disintegration characterized by this terrifying disease.