Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t just affect persons living with the disease; it affects their entire family.

In honor of the individuals and families suffering from the disease, November is National Alzheimer’s Awareness and Caregiver Appreciation month.

The Guest House Adult Day Health Center and Peachtree Plantation will sponsor a candlelight service at 7 p.m. Thursday to honor the victims of Alzheimer’s disease.

The service will be held in the chapel of the First Baptist Church on Green Street in Gainesville.

Dana Chapman, executive director for The Guest House, said the service is open to anyone who has been impacted by the disease, including the patients themselves, family members, caregivers and health care providers.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there are 5.4 million Americans living with the disease. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only one in the top 10 that cannot be prevented, treated or slowed.

Chapman said, based on previous attendance, she anticipates around 30 people at the event but can accommodate many more.

The program will last about 40 minutes, providing those with difficulty driving at night an opportunity to attend. The wife of a patient living with Alzheimer’s will speak about her family’s experience with the disease. A reading of names and lighting of candles will follow in honor or memory of those who have suffered from the disease.

Chapman said the event is beneficial for caregivers who often feel alone, guilty and physically exhausted because it allows them to meet others going through similar situations.

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that affects a person’s memory and behavior. Over time, it interferes with a person’s ability to perform basic tasks and control bodily functions.

In some ways, the disease is hardest on the person providing care, often a spouse or a child. While the caregivers still love and want to help, the patients may push them away because of no longer recognizing who they are.

“When a person loses that sense of who they are, when they lose their personality and you can see them slip away into someone else ... when they transfer into oblivion. I think that is one of the most difficult things for families,” Chapman said.

The event is not a fundraiser, and there is no cost to attend.