By RYAN CHRISTNER

rchristner@dailynews.net

The signs started appearing about 23 years ago, Jude Scheck said.

Her husband, Gilbert, began calling her for assistance in finding his way home from familiar places and often couldn't remember where he had placed his keys.

At 50, Gib, as she affectionately refers to him, seemed too young to be exhibiting behavior typically associated with those of an older population. So, as a caring wife, she asked if he was having trouble with his memory.

"He would say 'There's nothing wrong with me; the whole world is nuts,' " Jude said with a hearty laugh Saturday while attending the Alzheimer's Association memory walk at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

Gib was later diagnosed with Pick's Disease, a rare form of dementia that closely resembles Alzheimer's.

At the time, there was little information about Pick's available, but Jude made it a point to learn as much as she could.

She now is a facilitator of a local support group for those whose spouses suffer from Alzheimer's, which meets on the first Monday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Alterra Sterling House, 1801 E. 27th.

It helps, she said, to see that others are experiencing the same things.

In the 17 years before his death, Gib's condition worsened, his actions becoming more spontaneous, more childish.

He liked to pace, Jude Scheck said, and sometimes would stand in front of the cupboard doors for long periods of time, having forgotten that he was thirsty and had gone to get a drink.

He also liked to steal, or attempt to. Jude said she formed the habit of checking her husband's pockets as they waited in the checkout line while shopping, most of the time finding pocket knives or children's toys.

The stress of caring for her partner was "unbearable" at times, she said, as she was forced to exert all of her attention toward monitoring Gib's increasingly unpredictable behavior.

Like Alzheimer's, Pick's is one of several types of dementia, which recent research suggests affects approximately 6.8 million people in the United States.

Other common types of dementia include vascular dementia, Parkinson's Disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob's Disease, Huntington's Disease, Depression and Lewy Body Disease.

Alzheimer's is the most common, affecting an estimated 5.2 million Americans. It is caused by a deterioration of nerve cells in the brain, affects memory, problem-solving skills, spatial or temporal awareness and speech and triggers changes in mood and personality.

Age is the greatest known risk factor, although family history of the disease can play a significant role as well. It is said that those who have a parent or sibling with Alzheimer's are two to three times more likely to develop it themselves.

Currently, there is no cure for the disease, but the progression of mental decline can be slowed with medication.

The memory walk, sponsored by the Central and Western Kansas chapter based in Wichita, is the organization's largest fundraiser of the year. The money generated helps provide services and support to caregivers and families in 68 counties across the state.

The Hays walk, which was the last of seven this year in Kansas, raised $1,464. Statewide, the chapter has raised about $113,000.

Jude Scheck said she was never ashamed of her husband's behavior, just afraid that his actions might get him into trouble.

Remembering the events that occurred in the years before his death, she can't help but laugh at his behavior, such as the time he snuck away during a wedding reception and began to peel icing from the wedding cake with his fingers, or the way he would talk to television newscasters as if they were a guest paying him a visit.

Then there was the time he suddenly got out of their car when they were stopped at a red light on Vine Street and began to run down the road. Jude said she was shopping for a new car at the time and, after that, child safety locks became a big selling feature.

"It's funny now, but it sure wasn't then," she said.

Of course, it took her a long time to be able to laugh about it all.

"I learned at that time, if there is any comedy to be found, find it so you can preserve your sanity."