SAN DIEGO -- President Ronald Reagan once described Alzheimer's disease as a journey that would take him into the sunset of his life. But that sunset came years before his death. Reagan suffered from the mind-robbing disease for 10 years. It is a crippling journey thousands of San Diegans and their families are experiencing. But new research is bringing hope for a cure.

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The George Glenner Alzheimer's Center in Hillcrest is a national model for day care for people with Alzheimer's disease.

Joy Glenner, (pictured, right), the founder of the Glenner Center, and her researcher husband, George, were called to the Oval office in the early 80s. They were trying to bring recognition to Alzheimer's disease, a condition Reagan knew little about.

"(Reagan) turned to (my husband) and asked, 'What is Alzheimer's disease? I really don't know much about it. My mother died in a nursing home and they told me she was senile,'" Joy Glenner said.

That same day, Reagan proclaimed November as Alzheimer's Awareness Month. It wasn't until 12 years later that Reagan would find out he had the disease.

"I think that gave permission to families to remove the stigma, to say, 'I need help ... I have someone I love that has Alzheimer's,'" Glenner said.

Judy Verri struggles daily as her 87-year-old mother slips away.

"The mind, the love that was there ... even some of the anger that you would have, little fights over aren't there anymore. There's a sense of loss, a deep sense of loss," Verri said.

The Glenner Center gives Verri a break from the round-the-clock care her mother, Lucille, needs.

"Having that time where my mom could come here for a little while gives me a little bit of time to clean my own house and have some time with my grandson," Verri said.

Verri hopes a cure for Alzheimer's will be found in her lifetime.

Right now there are five FDA-approved medications to treat the symptoms and there are many potential treatments in the pipeline.

Dr. Leon Thal, an Alzheimer's researcher at University of California San Diego, said, "I would estimate that there are 120 drugs in various stages of development for Alzheimer's disease."

Scientists eventually believe a cocktail of drugs may be needed to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Many studies are being done at UCSD and across the nation.