Programs that provide information about the causes and origins, preventive measures, symptoms, screening/diagnostic procedures, and/or methods of treatment or management including the latest research for specific illnesses or disabling conditions.

Programs that maintain information about community resources that are appropriate for a specific target group or human services sector (for example, youth programs or addiction services) and which link individuals who are in need of specialized services with appropriate resources and/or which provide information about community agencies and organizations that offer specialized services.

Programs that collect, classify and distribute information about specific topics or problems which requires wide dissemination. Included are specialized information centers and organizations that provide reference assistance for the public regarding a wide variety of general and technical areas. The centers generally offer copies or reprints or allow people to come to the facility to do research but usually do not provide telephone information or refer people to specific resources.

Individuals who are generally between the ages of 18 and 25 depending on the ages that specific programs use for qualification.

Professionals or paraprofessionals who receive payment for providing services to attend to the daily needs of individuals who are temporarily or permanently unable to care for themselves due to general frailty; illnesses, injuries or progressively debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or mental illness; or other incapacitating problems. Through some programs, family or friends who provide care on an informal basis may be paid to fulfill their caregiver role.

Family members, friends, neighbors and others who assume responsibility for attending to the daily needs of individuals who are temporarily or permanently unable to care for themselves due to general frailty; illnesses, injuries or progressively debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or mental illness; or other incapacitating problems without compensation. Some, but not all, states have programs that help people pay for the caregiver of their choice, and in certain circumstances that can be a family member. Most of these programs have income and other eligibility requirements that the care recipient must meet, and strict rules often apply as to who can be paid for the caregiving. Benefits may also be available for veterans and their families through the Veteran's Administration.

An age-related, non-reversible brain disorder that develops over a period of years. Initially, people experience memory loss and confusion, which may be mistaken for the kinds of memory changes that are sometimes associated with normal aging. The symptoms gradually lead to behavior and personality changes, a decline in cognitive abilities such as decision-making and language skills and problems recognizing family and friends; and ultimately to a severe loss of mental function. Alzheimer's disease is one of a group of disorders called dementias that are characterized by cognitive and behavioral problems. It is the most common cause of dementia among people age 65 and older.

An acquired reduction in mental capacity that is characterized by impairment of memory, judgment and intellectual functioning which is often accompanied by behavioral disturbances.

A slowly progressive brain disorder that shares characteristics with both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The central feature of the condition is progressive cognitive decline, combined with three additional defining features: pronounced "fluctuations" in alertness and attention such as frequent drowsiness, lethargy, lengthy periods of time spent staring into space, or disorganized speech; recurrent visual hallucinations; and parkinsonian motor symptoms such as rigidity and the loss of spontaneous movement. People may also suffer from depression. The symptoms are caused by the build-up of Lewy bodies (accumulated deposits of alpha-synuclein protein) inside the nuclei of neurons in areas of the brain that control particular aspects of memory and motor control. There is no cure or definitive treatment for Lewy body dementia.

The parents, children, spouses, partners, friends or other relatives or significant others of people who have Alzheimer's disease, whose own patterns of personal, social and familial coping have been significantly affected by concern about the individual.