An estimated 4.5 million Americans are afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, and that figure could triple in the next 40 years, as baby boomers continue to age and life expectancy in general increases, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

The association warns that the disease could severely impact health care funding if a cure is not found.

However, one example of the kind of good care Alzheimer's patients can get today is a special unit on the first floor of St. Ann's Home in Rochester.

The 36-bed care unit, which opened in 2001, is tailored to people with mid- and late-stage dementia -- most of them are Alzheimer's patients.

Among the floor's features are a small waterfall and plants; laundry and kitchen areas; a small office; "baby room" with stuffed animals and bassinet; group meals and a specialized staff; limited television usage; and soft music playing throughout the floor and no intercom.

Dean Anne Brown, the unit's nurse manager, said the facility's open-space design suits Alzheimer's patients and their wandering tendencies, confusion and need for familiar objects, routines and socialization.

"They're having enough trouble hanging on to what they do, they can't be distracted by anything else," she said.

A progressive disease, Alzheimer's erodes the brain's memory cells, causing gradual memory loss, personality changes, and diminished ability to comprehend and speak.

Kenny Prince, 81, a jovial man with Alzheimer's, has resided in the special unit since January.

Prince said he likes to watch sports and old movies on TV -- often accompanied by the unit's resident cat, Charlie -- and go for walks. Baseball is his favorite sport next to hockey and basketball, a point he made several times during a 10-minute visit.

Talking to a reporter from the Catholic Courier, newspaper of the Rochester Diocese, he told detailed stories about his Army days, but haltingly recited his four children's names and estimated that he has "four to six" grandchildren (he has five).

"They're very nice here," he said of the St. Ann's staff, quipping, "I told them, 'You'd better treat me nice, because I'm a Prince.'"

The St. Ann's unit reflects heightened awareness about the disease that is relatively recent, considering that Dr. Alois Alzheimer, who died in 1915, made his breakthrough discoveries about the disease in the early 20th century. It is now regarded as the most common form of dementia among senior citizens.

Progression of Alzheimer's can take place over a period of three to 20 years.

Its earliest stage is marked by mild confusion, memory loss and irritability. In the next stage these traits intensify, and the patient may also become apathetic and get lost in familiar places. Patients in late stages may lose their voices, not recognize family or close friends, and become bedridden.

Although a patient can live with Alzheimer's for several years, the loss of brain function "will take your life eventually if you don't die from something else first," said Teresa Stewart, executive director of the Rochester chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

Both Stewart and Brown give major credit to the late President Reagan, who died June 5, for his efforts at raising awareness about it. In 1983, while still in office, he designated November as National Alzheimer's Disease Month.

In November 1994, Reagan announced in an open letter to the public that he had recently been diagnosed with the disease.

Yet Stewart observed that full acceptance and understanding of Alzheimer's has not yet occurred.

"I don't think we want to face death," said Brown, giving a reason why people have an aversion to addressing the disease. "We don't even want to entertain the possibility that we might get Alzheimer's or get dementia."

According to Stewart, doctors can now make diagnoses "with about 90 to 95 percent accuracy" that somebody is living with Alzheimer's through medical histories; mental examinations; interviews with family members; magnetic resonance imaging, or MRIs; and blood work.

Ninety-five percent of the knowledge about the disease has been acquired in the past 15 years, leading to the development of medications that can "slow the disease down and improve our quality of life," Stewart said.

Progress is also reflected in the growth nationwide of the Alzheimer's Association. Begun in 1980, the organization -- which can be accessed on the Web at: www.alz.org -- now has 81 chapters.

The association regularly runs awareness meetings as well as support groups for caregivers of Alzheimer's patients.

Despite developments, Stewart noted that only four or five drugs currently are on the market for Alzheimer's patients while "there are hundreds for cancer."

She said that the Alzheimer's Association is asking Congress to increase federal funding from $700 million to $1 billion annually for research in hopes that quicker progress can be made toward finding a cure.

-- CNS