There are three stages of Alzheimer's Disease - early, middle, and late. Symptoms in the first stage typically include problems with short term memory, loss of initiative, trouble with finances and planning, misplacement of common items, etc. Symptoms characteristic of the second stage consist of difficulty completing activities of daily living, trouble with language, difficulty eating without reminders or assistance, staying alone, and many others. Late stage symptoms can include the inability to complete any daily tasks independently, understand or respond to the environment, incontinence of bowel or bladder, disorientation to time, place, and person, etc. On average, an individual with this disease can live from 2-20 years. The middle stage typically lasts the longest but all stages may vary in length, including the last stage, as the illness has a highly individualized course. The amount of time a person can live with the illness is also dependent upon several variables, such as in which stage the diagnosis occurred and when and what treatments were prescribed, the level of mental and physical activity of the person, any underlying medical conditions, the quality of care, etc. Thus, it is difficult to determine how long your husband has to live. I suggest that you address your husband's condition with his physician to confirm what stage of the illness he is in and to review all possible options in order to optimize quality of life.