Elizabeth Arledge\u2019s PBS-aired documentary offers a snapshot on the impact that Alzheimer\u2019s disease has on the national economy and individual families. According to the medical professionals interviewed here, the near-future costs of Alzheimer\u2019s care threaten to bankrupt both Medicare and Medicaid while rivaling the Department of Defense\u2019s budget for the sheer level of spending. This is because there has been no breakthrough in Alzheimer\u2019s treatments \u2013 unlike heart disease, cancer or HIV\/AIDS, nobody can survive this disease once it begins to take its lethal toll \u2013 but federal spending on research for the disease is much smaller compared to other medical categories.<\/p>\n
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But the real power of this documentary comes in witnessing the devastating effects that Alzheimer\u2019s brings to families. One Missouri woman profiled in the film needed to sell her business and become a full-time caregiver to her mother \u2013 and the elder woman\u2019s rapidly failing health is detailed throughout the course of the film. Another profile finds a Florida man who places his Alzheimer\u2019s-stricken mother in a care facility. Although she is treated very well, the mother is not happy in her new surroundings, and her son is panicked that the costs of her care will deplete the family\u2019s savings.<\/p>\n
This film is provocative and often heartbreaking, and it should send a much-needed message that more urgency is needed in addressing this issue.<\/p>\n