A report released this week by the Alzheimer's Association shows less than half the number of people with Alzheimer's are told their diagnosis by doctors.
The report says that only 45 percent of patients are told about their disease by a doctor.
Simon Aronshtein, operations manager at AHS Caring Communities of The Bronx in Morrisania, says that it's a dangerous statistic. He says that the longer doctors wait to diagnosis their patients, the harder it is for patients and their caregivers to bounce back.
Eugenia Pigassiou, a therapeutic recreation specialist at AHS, says that Alzheimer's patients tend to become depressed as their diagnosis progresses. She says one way to keep Alzheimer's patients mentally strong is to have them take part in group activities to stay social.