ETV to Broadcast “Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts”

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ETV to Broadcast "Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts"

For Immediate Release
April 21, 2009

Columbia, SC…On Sunday, May 31 at 5 p.m., ETV airs Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts. Narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Edward Herrmann, this hour-long documentary examines the personal and societal implications of this debilitating illness, while reviewing the latest research as scientists look for a cure.

The program also takes a heart-breaking look at families whose lives have been devastated by the disease. In every personal story profiled in Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts, viewers will see not only the effects of the disease on the patient, but also the toll it takes on the family members left as caregivers.

• Earl Towner’s first symptoms of Alzheimer’s appeared when, as a lifelong member of the Alaska National Guard, he attended a formal military function and wore his rank pin on the wrong side of his uniform jacket…an unimaginable mistake for a career military man. Now, he and his wife Lyn have moved to a small, close-knit community where she can better care for his advancing needs.
• Calvin Hackney first noticed an issue with his wife Thelma when, after years as an excellent cook, she kept making mistakes in the kitchen. Like many partners, he reasoned her forgetfulness was simply a natural part of aging, but soon it became clear the situation was more serious.
• Don Deines knew his father died of Alzheimer’s disease, but he never imagined he would suffer the same fate. Now his wife Judy has taken early retirement to care for him.

Through profiles of families living with Alzheimer’s and interviews with 15 doctors and researchers from across the country, the documentary studies how this overlooked disease is threatening to bankrupt the American health system, economy and spirit.

Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts also illustrates a host of challenges facing scientists and researchers who are working to find a cure, yet lament the lack of attention and funding in the face of its disastrous effects on the country’s aging population. Dr. John Trojanowski of the University of Pennsylvania states, “There is something wrong with this equation. We are the richest country on earth facing the largest epidemic of a dementing illness ever in the history of civilization. And we need to see this as an urgent, actionable item.”

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.

Photos may be downloaded for the sole purpose of publicizing this program. To download an image, click on the picture below. A new Web page will open containing the hi-res version. Right click on the hi-res image, and select "Save As" or "Save Picture As."

Don and Judy Deines share their story in Alzheimer's Disease: Facing the Facts. Photo credit: Carol Edwards.

Carl and Thelma Hackney. Now diagnosed with AD, Thelma is enrolled in a clinical trial testing an experimental medication. Photo credit: Carol Edwards

After Earl Towner was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he and his wife Lyn moved to a tiny northern Wisconsin community in search of a quieter, easier-to-manage lifestyle. Photo credit: Carol Edwards.

Dr. Carl Cotman, Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California in Irvine and the Director of the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia at the University of California in Irvine. Photo credit: University of California-Irvine Media Relations.