one other tip: have a family meeting before the disease becomes too advanced to agree on how certain things will be handled ...

eg: when will you not let your children drive with them? when will you remove their car keys or get rid of their car? when will you not allow them to have keys to your home? if they forget that someone (eg: their spouse) has died, will you tell them, or just say they are away or can't visit that day? if they stop liking healthy foods, will you just let them eat custard and jelly all day, or will they be fed by others? under what (if any) circumstances will they be put in full time care? who will manage their affairs?

if the person with Alzheimers has several immediate family members, questions like this can cause enormous disputes ... it was reasonably simple for us, as it was my maternal grandmother and my mother is an only child - we let her make all the decisions, and we just supported her ... but I'm one of 4 kids, and I would want to discuss things - many of them with the person present, if they were able and willing to participate - if it looked like things might be heading that way ...