I have a great interest in this subject, having worked in the medical field for years and dealing with Alzheimer's disease in my family as well. My husband is an Alzheimer's patient. He is still working at this time, but we can see the day getting closer that we will have to have him retire. He is old enough to retire but also realizes that working is keeping him active and alert. Our fear is that when he retires, the disease will progress at a much faster rate.
He is on two medications, Aricept and Nemenda, to slow the progress of the Alzheimer's. These drugs work for some and not for others, so all you can do is try them to find out. We did notice, with him, he regained some of his thought processes. There is no cure, but there are medicines to help in the beginning if it is caught soon enough.
We realized this is what he was dealing with when he called me one day to say he didn't know his way home. This was a trip he had made for many years. I guided him home and immediately made an appointment with the doctor. After many tests, he was diagnosed. The neurologist said not to let him drive more than 10 miles, so we wouldn't have as much a chance of him getting lost. His job is within that range, so needless to say I worried, but after starting the the medications, this did seem to be a good range. Of course, until the medications built up I still received a few calls, but he hasn't had that problem for a while. I do have him drive me places from time to time, so I can assure myself that he is doing ok behind the wheel. I also got a phone with the walkie talkie on it, in case he has trouble using the phone. I take every precaution because you never know when this disease will take over. I do try to keep him dependant on himself, but also pay close attention to his abilities. We take it one day at a time.
Thanks to my friend Rosebud for leading me to this thread. I think it is a wonderful idea to share the information we have. You never know when it will hit someones family. It is like a medical bomb, when it hits, it hurts a lot of people. We know first hand.