Living With Alzheimer's: 5 Ways To Help Patients With Dementia Enjoy Life

Alzheimer's disease has an unusual distinction: It's the illness that Americans fear most -- more than cancer, stroke or heart disease. The rhetoric surrounding Alzheimer's reflects this. People "fade away" and are tragically "robbed of their identities" as this incurable condition progresses, we're told time and again. Yet, a sizable body of research suggests this Alzheimer's narrative is mistaken. It finds that people with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia retain a sense of self and have a positive quality of life, overall, until the illness's final stages. They're energized by meaningful activities and value opportunities to express themselves.