The biggest signal to Karen Holland that something was wrong came when Edward could no longer calculate a tip on a restaurant bill. Then, she recalled, his handwriting started to deteriorate and he began wandering off, unsure how to get home.

Holland said that those in early stages of the disorder should educate themselves and their families about caregiving and financial issues. She attended support groups in order to get information about helping herself and her husband.

"Start learning about the disease early and get all the information you can," Holland said.

Taking care of a person with Alzheimer's has an emotional toll, with more than a third of family caregivers for patients reporting symptoms of depression, the report said. Two-thirds of those who cared for Alzheimer's patients, and also worked, said they had to go in late, leave early, or take time off.

About 8 percent of caregivers reported they had to quit work entirely, the group said.

"This is something everybody has to deal with to some degree," said Gunnar Gouras, a neurologist and neuroscientist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. "Alzheimer's is going to be a huge burden on our society. It is now, and it will be greater unless we have more effective medications."

Delaying onset of the disease, or slowing its progress, could save taxpayer money, said Stephen McConnell, the Alzheimer's Association's vice president for public policy and advocacy. The disease is the top cause of dementia among the elderly, according to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

"It's the baby boomers now, it's us, and it's not just our parents," said McConnell in a telephone interview. The numbers are increasing in part because people are surviving other ailments, including heart attacks, that may have killed them in the past, he said.

"We've invested heavily in cancer and heart research and now we're seeing the payoff," McConnell said. "Unfortunately, we've not made the same investments in Alzheimer's research."

Companies led by Wyeth, Elan Corp., Eli Lilly & Co., Myriad Genetics Inc., Merck & Co., and GlaxoSmithKline Plc. are working on treatments for the disorder.

"Most people think 'It can't happen to me,"' Karen Holland said. "It's difficult to think about, but it's a necessary evil, and it's becoming more and more so as the number of people with Alzheimer's is growing."