Currently, high-functioning Alzheimer's patients in the earliest stages of their disease are "lobby[ing] Congress for more money to hunt treatments." Some patients "are advising top scientists to push for higher-stakes research, even if it means higher risks."

While over "five million Americans are estimated to be living with Alzheimer's disease,...research suggests [that] as many as half of [them] may be in the disease's early stages." This week, "the Alzheimer's Association begins pilot-testing a campaign...aimed at increasing early diagnosis." The idea is to give "people a chance to plan for their future care while they still have the mental capacity to do so." And, "increasing early detection also is key to better research into ways to prevent Alzheimer's, or at least slow its worsening, several dozen of the disease's top specialist wrote in last month's journal Alzheimer's & Dementia."

Related Links:

- "Earlier diagnosis giving Alzheimer's a new voice," Lauren Neergard, Associated Press, June 2, 2008.