Aims. The purpose of the study is to estimate whether the cognitive, functioning and emotional impairments in patients with Alzheimer's disease are related to lifestyle behaviours in the stage of life prior to the diagnosis of the disease. Methods. Altogether, 65 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 55 women and 10 men, participants of the day center, run by the Wielkopolska Association of Alzheimer's Disease and residents of the Senior Nursing Home in Koprzywnica, were examined. Cognitive, functioning and emotional impairments of patients as well as lifestyle behaviours in the stage of life prior to the diagnosis of AD were estimated using AD-specific questionnaire, which were completed by caregivers. Qantitative and qualitative analyses were run using appropriate statistical procedures available in the Statistica 7.1 programme [StatSoft. Inc.2005 Statistica for Windows]. Results. The findings revealed that patients with AD aged 70 years and older were likely to be more frequently impaired with daily life functioning than their younger counterparts. Patients with a higher attainment of education were more frequently impaired with cognitive than emotional problems and depression. Of all the variables in question, calendar age, educational attainment and intellectual activity in the stage of life prior to the diagnosis of disease were most significant in explaining the variation in the current impairments. Persons who were younger and intellectually active prior to the disease, were likely to be suffering less from the burden of AD than the older and less intellectually active counterparts. Conclusions. The association between educational attainment and intellectual activity in the stage of life prior to the occurrence of AD, and the burden of AD, found in the study, indicates that a lifelong intellectual activity may help to reduce disabilities and improve the patients' quality of life.