ABSTRACT
Alzheimer's disease or a related condition will soon affect one out of every three families in the United States. A projected 7.4 million Americans will have Alzheimer's disease or some other progressive degenerative dementia by the year 2040, if researchers have not found a way of preventing it. With neither cause nor cure for this disabling disease yet discovered, there remains a tremendous need for the development of patient-care programs in therapeutic environments that address the psychological and social needs of patients and families.
