Shootingstar - condolances to your friend's loss of her husband. Alzheimer's can strike someone young. I had a friend be diagnosed at the age of 45, and die at 51, despite being treated with the meds to slow the progression. That's all they do, slow the progression. It was especially hard on his wife (widow) to watch her husband decline. She fought like mad to protect him, keep life at a routine, keep him normal for as long as possible. All we could do was support her. People think Alzheimer's is an "old" people's disease and it isn't necessarily so. You loose you mind, your brain atrophys, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it.

I took Alan to a state required psych evaluation - as the appointment was out of town, and their car wasn't up to driving the distance. Alan was already on disability for other reasons, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's by his doctor. So of course the state required their own confirmation. Anyway, there were a battery of tests, but one of the questions they asked him (according to his wife Patti, who was with him, I was in my truck reading), was about his mental health, was he depressed. Alan said, "I'm loosing my F*cking mind, how do you think I feel! No I don't want to commit suicide, I want to live!!" Patti, comes running out to tell me, she has to laugh and cry at the same time.

So, I would give my full condolances to your friend, for whatever sad reason robbed her of her husband. Dealing with Alzheimers or dementia is extremly difficult for familys of those afflicted, the person you knew was gone, the body is there, but mind not-so-much. Sometimes the lights are on, or not. Or if they are, you may not know who's going to answer. Death can be a blessing in the end.