Reagan Riding Quietly Into Sunset Coping With Alzheimer’s, Former President Keeps Close To Family

Ronald Reagan cherished the yarns he would spin about Hollywood and his eight years in the White House, but Alzheimer’s disease seems to be silencing the Great Communicator.

“He doesn’t tell as many stories as he used to,” daughter Maureen Reagan said. “We are very well aware of it. He’s very well aware of it.”

Only family, staff and close friends have seen the former president in the year since his heart-wrenching letter disclosing the diagnosis and the start of “the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life.”

That was Nov. 5, 1994, and there’s been little since.

Reagan privately celebrated his 84th birthday in February with staff, which issued a photograph and a Reagan statement “on the 45th anniversary of my 39th birthday,” updating the Reagan adage.

“He enjoys going to the office every day, playing golf and going to church,” Nancy Reagan said this week in a written response to questions submitted to the Reagan office in Century City.

On Halloween, Reagan invited his staff to bring in their children for lunch.

“He’s doing fine,” said Cathy Busch, his former press officer who was in town for the private get-together.

There were no reporters and no media photographers, but Reagan posed for personal snapshots with the dozens of costumed youngsters.

It’s a glimpse of Reagan that few see: Post-presidency $50,000 speeches are no more; Secret Service agents drive him from his gated Bel-Air home to the office; worshipers at Bel-Air Presbyterian Church are handed fliers admonishing them to keep away from the former president.

“We’re not hiding him,” insists Reagan spokeswoman Joanne Drake.

The nation’s 40th chief executive also enjoys occasional trips to his Santa Barbara County mountaintop ranch, where he still tools through pastures in his Jeep with the personalized license plate GIPPER.

Later this month, the Reagans will celebrate Thanksgiving at their Bel-Air home with family and, if the weather cooperates, “hang out at the pool,” said Maureen Reagan.

“We love these moments,” she said.

Alzheimer’s is an irreversible neurological disorder that destroys the brain’s memory cells.

Besides memory loss, symptoms include impairment of judgment, disorientation and personality change.

Among diseases, it’s the fourth leading cause of death for adults after heart disease, cancer and strokes. Some 4 million Americans have the neurological disorder, and about 100,000 die every year.

Reagan’s announcement was invaluable in calling attention to the disease, said Edward Truschke, president of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Since his announcement came out, we had triple the amount of calls not only to our national office but to our local offices,” Truschke said.

“People have finally realized that this very silent disease is more prevalent today because of our life expectancy,” Maureen Reagan said. “Almost half the people who reach 85 have some degree of Alzheimer’s.”

The Reagans disclosed last week that they were lending their names to a “research institute without walls” dedicated to the study of Alzheimer’s disease.

The Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute will work with the Chicago-based non-profit Alzheimer’s Association to give research grants to scientists, drug companies, universities and medical centers working on the disease.

“We both agreed that lending our name to the institute was the right thing to do,” Nancy Reagan said. “We’ve been public people our entire married life, you know. If we can make a difference through our involvement, then we’ve simply got to do it.”

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Month, a designation first signed into law 12 years ago - by President Reagan.

“Back then, Ronnie’s goal was to raise the level of awareness of this cruel disease and make people realize they shouldn’t be self-conscious or embarrassed,” Nancy Reagan said.