The Alzheimer's Catastrophe portrays the attempts and failures of the
medical and research establishment to find an effective treatment for
Alzheimer's disease and exposes the significant deficiencies of long
term care. More than five million Americans currently have Alzheimer's
disease and that number is expected to triple by 2050. The first case of
Alzheimer's was described more than one hundred years ago yet there is
still no clear understanding of what causes this devastating disease.
With no effective medical treatments, patients and their families may
turn to long term care facilities which often fall short in providing
quality care. The Alzheimer's Catastrophe chronicles past and current
areas of research but also reveals some less publicized issues such as
the use of chemical restraints in nursing homes, instances of profit
driven maneuvers of pharmaceutical companies, and the controversies
related to screening tests.