Alzheimer's disease or AD is an incurable brain disorder that causes the loss of normal structure and function of the brain. In an AD brain, normal brain tissue is slowly replaced by structures called plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Plaques represent a naturally occurring sticky protein called beta amyloid, and in the brain of an Alzheimer's patient, sufferers tend to accumulate too much of this protein. Neurofibrillary tangles represent collapsed tau proteins that, in a normal brain, together with microtubules, form a skeleton that maintains the shape of nerve cells. In Alzheimer's disease, tau proteins break away from their normal position and form tangles. Without the support of these molecules, nerve cells collapse and die. As normal brain structure is lost as the disease progresses, brain function also degenerates. Patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease show gradual mental decline. Initially, and apparently, short-term memory loss occurs. Eventually, as the patient progresses to the later stages of the disease, the brain becomes so damaged that patients can no longer communicate or recognize close family members or even themselves. They have difficulty walking and standing and often fall. In the final stages they lose control of their bladder and bowels and have difficulty swallowing, often leaving them malnourished and dehydrated. Ultimately, they become bedridden and, without the help of life-prolonging measures provided in the hospital, die. However, this level of deterioration is severe and could take up to twenty years. Due to the slow progress of the disease and its usual late onset in a person's life, an AD victim usually dies first of natural causes. Below the objectives... at the center of the document... curated and rationalized to allow for early diagnosis. In the case of tertiary prevention, pharmaceutical companies have a huge financial incentive to create a cure for Alzheimer's, but this is not enough. More government-funded research should be devoted to finding ways to delay or cure Alzheimer's disease. The baby boom generation has already entered its sixties. As people live longer, thanks to new treatments for common deadly diseases like heart disease and cancer, they are becoming more likely to succumb to Alzheimer's. Failing to find preventative or curative measures will be costly. On a personal level, Alzheimer's disease slowly attacks cognitive functions, the higher thinking processes; individuals degenerate into infantile dependents. The cost of caring for an increasing number of these dependents will place a burden on both the family and society.