Alzheimer's center opens in Warrenville

A DuPage County-based medical research and outpatient treatment facility specializing in drug-free care has joined the fight against Alzheimer's disease.

On Friday, the not-for-profit Pfeiffer Treatment Center in Warrenville celebrated the grand opening of its new Center for Alzheimer's Care.

"It's very exciting that the type of care we're able to provide to the autism community we now are able to provide to the Alzheimer's community," said Scott Filer, executive director of Pfeiffer Treatment Center. "And as both populations appear to be growing, this is an interesting point in time that ... I hope all of us will remember was a pivotal point in this type of care."

Since opening as a medical clinic in Wheaton in 1993, Pfeiffer Treatment Center has helped thousands of patients suffering from a variety of disorders, including attention deficit disorder, autism spectrum disorder, depression and anxiety.

Pfeiffer officials say the center, which moved to Warrenville in 2000, has become "a premier provider of drug-free care regimens" intended to address the underlying physiological causes of symptoms associated with cognitive loss, schizophrenia and autism.

Filer said the center is known worldwide for its work on autism. "Our edge in autism is pretty big," he said.

That autism research is what helped Pfeiffer develop therapies for patients experiencing the early stages of Alzheimer's - or individuals with a family history of Alzheimer's who want to address the eventual onset of the disease.

While there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease - a form of dementia afflicting more than 5 million Americans - Pfeiffer officials say their goal is to slow the progression of memory loss and delay the onset of the most severe symptoms.

"So, in other words, it becomes a chronic disease as opposed to a deadly one," Filer said.

Pfeiffer invested more than $300,000 on "first-class staffing and capital upgrades" to make its Center for Alzheimer's Care a reality. The opening was celebrated with a Friday ribbon-cutting attended by local chamber of commerce members, Warrenville Mayor David Brummel, Naperville Mayor George Pradel and state Sen. Randy Hultgren.