Depression is common among old people, affecting up to 25 percent. iStockphoto.com hide caption
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease
Scientists hope a new genetically modified rat will help them find Alzheimer's drugs that work on humans. Ryumin Alexander/ITAR-TASS/Landov hide caption
Social worker Nuria Casulleres shows a portrait of Audrey Hepburn to elderly men during a memory activity at the Cuidem La Memoria elderly home in Barcelona, Spain, last August. The home specializes in Alzheimer's patients. David Ramos/Getty Images hide caption
Scientists have found that bilingual seniors are better at skills that can fade with age than their monolingual peers. iStockphoto.com hide caption
Brain scans using Amyvid dye to highlight beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. Clockwise from top left: a cognitively normal subject; an amyloid-positive patient with Alzheimer's disease; a patient with mild cognitive impairment who progressed to dementia during a study; and a patient with mild cognitive impairment. Slide courtesy of the journal Neurology hide caption
Despite Uneven Results, Alzheimer's Research Suggests A Path For Treatment
Treatment For Alzheimer's Should Start Years Before Disease Sets In
A PET scan of the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease. U.S. National Institute on Aging/Wikimedia Commons hide caption
When does it make sense to test a person for the risk of an incurable illness? Andrei Tchernov/iStockphoto.com hide caption
A PET scan of the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease. U.S. National Institute on Aging/via Wikimedia Commons hide caption
A PET scan of the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease. U.S. National Institute on Aging/via Wikimedia Commons hide caption
TimeSlips is a program based on the idea that storytelling can be therapeutic for people with dementia. Dick Blau/TimeSlips hide caption
This would count. But even washing the dishes helps fend off dementia in old age. iStockphoto.com hide caption
Because these Chicago second-graders are bilingual, they may be better protected later in life against the ravages of dementia. Tim Boyle/Getty Images hide caption
The last photo of Joy and her father, taken in July 2011. Courtesy of Joy Johnston hide caption