Customer Reviews

Alzheimer's Disease: Facing the Facts

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an EXCELLENT title for anybody whose life is impacted by Alzheimer's Diseae or related dementia diagnosis. It is on par with a related titie "The Forgetting, A Portrait of Alzheimer's Disease." I did not even know this video existed until I did some "window-shopping" on the subject of AD. I have cared for folks who have been affected with this diagnosis in my work as a Home Health Aide. And, now I have a family member who has received the diagnosis not of AD, but a related dementia. In the case of my family member, there is no treatment for her problem. About half of this program's material is stuff I knew already from various other sources. This video is NOT for the "faint of heart". It shows several people who are in various stages of AD, from those who have very slight symptoms to those who are bed-ridden & possibly close to dying. The title is exactly correct. It assumes that the diagnosis has been made & now, the viewer need answers to "where do I go from here?" Caring for someone afflicted is always individual. There are a couple of drugs that can be given to hope to halt the progrss of the disease. One panelist made the point of "unless we can offer a treatment that will slow or prevent the disease, what is the point of invasive diagnostic testing?" In "The Forgetting", one family member affected by his wife having AD said "I always have to remember this isn't her, it's the disease." That is how I felt when the formal diagnosis was made for my family member. The doctor said the name & finally, I had permission to join that man in "The Forgetting" & say "this isn't my family member; it's the disease."

I noticed a little icon on the cover of this video "WGBH Boston Video". This "my" PBS station! That icon says "volumes" towards highest quality productions. I did not view this program when it aired; I wish I had, I can't say enough to recommend this title! Even those in the medical caring vocations can learn much from this video. It is money well spent, in my opinion.