Many people are unprepared to deal with the legal and financial consequences of a serious illness such as Alzheimer's disease. Legal and medical experts encourage people recently diagnosed with a serious illness—particularly one that is expected to cause declining mental and physical health—to examine and update their financial and health care arrangements as soon as possible.

As individuals progress into late-stage dementia, music from their childhood, such as folk songs, work well. Singing these songs in the language in which they were learned sparks the greatest involvement.

Unfamiliar music can also be beneficial because it carries no memories or emotions. This may be the best choice when developing new responses, such as physical relaxation designed to manage stress or enhance sleep.

Dementia is present in 10 percent of individuals older than 65 years and in 47 percent of those older than 85 years.

By the year 2030, an estimated 20 percent of the U.S. population will be 65 years or older. As the American population ages, a growing number of people will be serving as caregivers for family members affected by dementia and other types of functional impairment.

Laughing could dramatically improve your health and be as good for you as a deep state of meditation, researchers have found.

Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist is credited with identifying the first published case of "presenile dementia" in 1907, a condition that is now called Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a condition that causes abnormal changes in the brain mainly affecting memory and other mental abilities. Alzheimer's is a disease, not a normal part of aging.