Self Management of Chronic Disease

This book will support an issue as important as self-management of chronic diseases, es- cially AD, in finding its way into the daily life of patients and their caregivers as well as into treatment worldwide. It is written for healthcare professionals, aging researchers/scientists, patients with Alzheimer s disease and their caregivers, managers of eldercare facilities, public health authorities, umbrella organisations of Alzheimer associations, Alzheimer associations, health care administrators, health economists and government officials. It is my pleasant duty to thank Merz Pharma (Schweiz) AG in Allschwil-Switzerland to purchase 40 copies of the book. To finish this book, a long and sometimes arduous path had to be traveled. Now that it is over, I feel profoundly thankful towards all authors for participating in this project, p- ticularly Eva Krebs-Roubicek, MD for her contribution, the three models on the cover of this book; and especially to Julie and Jean-Luc for their great understanding and loving - sistance. Sabine Bährer-Kohler, Editor of the book VII Foreword Alzheimer s disease is one of those diseases which is steadily increasing worldwide. Treating Alzheimer s disease is able to modify its course but does not yet cure it. Alzheimer s disease is an enormous challenge not only for the afflicted person but also for the relatives.