Our Chapter's mission is to enhance the quality of life for all persons affected by Alzheimer's disease and related disorders through education and services, advocacy, and support of research.

Description:
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease which attacks the brain. It is the most common form of dementia and its causes are unknown. More than 4 million people in the United States are diagnosed with the disease.
The Alzheimer's Association is the largest national voluntary organization dedicated to conquering Alzheimer's disease and consists of a network of local chapters throughout the country.
The Greater Kentucky & Southern Indiana Chapter provides services to 125 counties across Kentucky and southern Indiana.

History:
German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer hadn't seen anything like it. One of his patients, Frau August D., was besieged by a storm of puzzling symptoms: Fits of jealousy toward her husband were shortly succeeded by memory loss, depression, hallucinations, and rapidly progressing dementia. Within five years of her first visit to Dr. Alzheimer, Frau August D., age 51, was dead.

In his landmark 1906 paper on the case, Dr. Alzheimer wrote that the woman's early symptoms deviated from any known disease pattern. He then went on to describe his autopsy of her brain. He saw signs of general atrophy but detected no tumors or evidence of a stroke. Then, examining her cerebral cortex, Dr. Alzheimer found lesions, extensive tissue distortion, and cell damage -- the hallmarks of what we now know as Alzheimer's disease.

Three years after Dr. Alzheimer presented his paper, the newly identified condition entered the medical literature. Yet much about the affliction would remain a mystery for years to come.

During the next seven decades, people with Alzheimer's and their families had few places to turn to for assistance. Then in 1980, a group of people committed to helping those afflicted with the disease and their families and caregivers founded the Alzheimer's Association.

Contact people:

Tonya Cox, VP, Education & Programs, (phone), (email) Carla Guthrie, Manager For The Best Friends Day Center, (phone), (email) Aletha Malone, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (859) 268-4764

Address:

1065 Dove Run Road, Suite 2 Lexington, KY 40502 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.alzinky.org