Part of the problem is that it affects much older people so it's out of our daily thoughts, and we might not know them as well. Also, when people get the disease, they often go into hiding. Ronald Reagan, Margret Thatcher, and Charlton Heston come to mind.

I noticed that there's a Glenn Campbell documentary that covers his Alzheimer's. He was a little before my time and a superstar in his time.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Campbell

Maybe the movie will bring a little more attention to the disease.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2049586/