anonymous, alzheimer s can strike anyone and the outcome is always the same. there is nothing more helpless and nothing more alone than knowing that someone you love has this diagnosis. alzheimer s disease is probably the looming epidemic on the horizon for the united states as well as, perhaps, the world in general. dr. ronald peterson is director of the mayo clinic alzheimer s disease research center. there are probably 5.4 million people with alzheimer s disease in the u.s. right now. and with the baby boomers, aging into the period of risk, this number is going to skyrocket. this is the disease entity that is going to cripple the system in the next decade if we don t address it head-on at this point in time. for years the disease did not get the attention it deserved but in 1994, ronald reagan announced to the world that it had been diagnosed in him. the president put a very public face on what was often a very private matter.