PBS REACHES OUT TO HELP AMERICA'S FAMILIES COPE WITH THE GROWING ALZHEIMER'S EPIDEMIC

THE FORGETTING: A Portrait of Alzheimer's premiering on PBS
January 21, from 9 -10:30 PM/ET (check local listings), explores this frightening disease, the human toll it takes on patients and caregivers and the latest research in the race to find a cure.

Followed by ALZHEIMER'S: The Help You Need, from 10:30 - 11PM/ET (check local listings), featuring a panel of experts who answer questions and suggest resources for finding help, hosted by David Hyde Pierce (Dr. Niles Crane on NBC’s Frasier), who has experienced Alzheimer's first-hand through the illness of his grandfather and his father.

THE FORGETTING: A Portrait of Alzheimer's and its accompanying nationwide outreach campaign mark the first major PBS initiative on Alzheimer's disease. The landmark program, based on the best-selling book The Forgetting - Alzheimer's: Portrait of an Epidemic, by David Shenk, will bring this looming health crisis to national attention - offering insight, context, help and hope.

Today, approximately five million Americans have this devastating disease. And with each passing year, as the first boomers approach the age of 65, America moves closer to the brink of an epidemic. In examining this social and economic crisis, THE FORGETTING focuses on stories of families whose lives have been steadily ravaged by Alzheimer's and explains how the disease attacks the brain and the exciting progress of scientific researchers who are struggling to find solutions.

To watch a preview of THE FORGETTING: A Portrait of Alzheimer's, click for low bandwidth or high bandwidth.

A groundbreaking Web site accessible at www.pbs.org/theforgetting will be a central hub for Alzheimer's information and support, providing advice, resources and opportunities for Alzheimer's families to share emotions and insights. The site - unlike any other existing Web site - offers an interactive feature called The Living Center, created by the MIT Media Lab. The Living Center helps relieve the stress of visiting with an Alzheimer's patient by providing stimulating and engaging activities that Alzheimer's patients will enjoy.

Contact:
Gabrielle Naglieri
Kelly & Salerno Communications
203.863.1000
gabrielle@kellysalerno.com

Credits

THE FORGETTING: Portrait of Alzheimer's is produced by Twin Cities Public Television. Executive Producer: Naomi S. Boak; Producer and Director: Elizabeth Arledge; Editor: Doug Quade; Original Music: Mason Daring; Executive in Charge: Gerald Richman.

MetLife Foundation is the exclusive funder of THE FORGETTING: A Portrait of Alzheimer's. Major funding for the national outreach campaign is provided by MetLife Foundation, with additional support by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.