An 1,162-jword article that discusses alzheimers. It cites treatment options and provides signs of dementia. Written by 
Valerie D. Lockhart, publisher and executive editor of the Detroit Native Sun. She has over 20 years’ experience as a newspaper editor and was the former Associate Editor of the Michigan Chronicle, the state’s oldest African American owned newspaper. She has won several awards in journalism that includes the Lincoln University Unity Awards in Media.
 
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     Balling up her fists, Lillian banged on the front door and yelled, “Let me out!”
     The 83-year-old woman had been living at her daughter and son-in-law’s home for the past eight years. Yet, she didn’t remember where she was and demanded they open the door.
     As her daughter made sure the iron clad security door was locked, her mother became enraged and started to hit her. The scene had become a familiar one, taking place at least twice a week for the past year.
     “Sometimes, I feel like opening the door and letting her go,” Liz, her 59-year-old daughter, said. “My mother has Alzheimer’s, and it has been rough caring for her the past year. I do not want her to end up wandering on the street lost and scared. And I do not want to put her into a nursing home, but I need help.”
     Like Lillian, about 6.5 million people are battling Alzheimer’s in the United States. The Alzheimer’s Association predicts that by 2050, the number of people aged 65 and older with Alzheimer's dementia to reach 12.7 million.