"If Alzheimer's ever was cause for public concern, it's now," said David Hyde Pierce, Alzheimer's Association board member and spokesperson for the campaign. "Our aging population compels the need for effective disease-modifying drugs. As individuals, as families, as a country, we can't afford this disease, physically, emotionally, or financially." Dozens of celebrities are lending their time, talents and faces to educate the public on the facts of Alzheimer's disease and challenge more than five million people -- one for every person currently living with the disease -- to get involved. A photo collection of 23 famous faces wearing purple T-shirts featuring motivational words from the Alzheimer's Association's new consumer campaign will be unveiled today in New York. The photo exhibit of well-known Alzheimer's Champions are slated to travel to more than 12 markets later this year as part of the first comprehensive public education campaign from the Alzheimer's Association.
Ricki Lake, Lea Thompson, Peter Gallagher, Victor Garber, David Hyde
Pierce, Kate Burton, Tracie Thoms, Dick Van Dyke and others are the faces
of a new campaign that aims to dispel the misperception that Alzheimer's
disease is just about old people losing their memory. The photo collection
was photographed by well-known celebrity and fashion photographer,
Robert Trachtenberg. It includes both print stills of personalities committed to
making a difference and personal quotes from the stars about the disease.
"If Alzheimer's ever was cause for public concern, it's now," said
David Hyde Pierce, Alzheimer's Association board member and
spokesperson for the campaign. "Our aging population compels the need for
effective disease- modifying drugs. As individuals, as families, as a country, we
can't afford this disease, physically, emotionally, or financially."
To get involved with the campaign, Americans can become a Champion,
purchase a campaign tee like the one the celebrities are sporting in the
exhibit, advocate for more research funding, register for a local Memory
Walk or make a donation online by visiting http://www.actionalz.org . The
celebrity photos can also be viewed on the site.
Campaign and Personalities Dispel Alzheimer's Misperceptions
A new poll shows that while more than half of Americans know someone with Alzheimer's, 90 percent say they don't know much about the disease.
"It's this lack of understanding that has fueled complacency," Kate
Burton said. "Shows like Grey's Anatomy and the character I played -- Ellis
Grey -- have slowly awakened our senses to what individuals with the
disease and their families have to endure. The reality is, Alzheimer's can
strike as young as age 30 and it's a slow, debilitating, fatal disease.
This new exhibit and campaign will hopefully open people's eyes to the
reality of this horrible disease."
New figures released last month show that more than five million
Americans are currently suffering from Alzheimer's, a 10 percent increase
over the previous figure. Someone new is added to those ranks every 72
seconds.
As millions of baby boomers begin to turn 60 this year, Alzheimer's
prevalence will skyrocket. By mid-century, the number of people with
Alzheimer's is expected to grow to as many as 16 million -- more people
than the populations of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston
combined. At a projected cost of $400 billion by the year 2030, Alzheimer's
has the capacity to bankrupt Medicare.
"The fact is, someone suffering from Alzheimer's disease will lose the
ability to form thoughts, remember simple words and ultimately
communicate," Hyde Pierce said. "People with Alzheimer's need us to be
their voice and open minds to the realities of this disease."
Hope on the Horizon
There are new treatments on the horizon -- currently nine drugs are in
Phase III clinical trials, several of which show great promise at slowing
or stopping the progression of the disease. This, combined with new
diagnostic tools, has the potential to change the landscape significantly.
New Campaign Seen Nationwide
This week, the campaign's powerful new advertisements will start to
appear in Newsweek, Time, O (the Oprah Magazine), Prevention and others.
The images in the new print ads represent the struggle someone with the
disease -- and their loved ones -- experience as Alzheimer's disease
progresses. The stirring ads decisively ask Americans to stand up and
represent people who suffer from the disease. The ads feature one word
larger than the others, in purple, which invites a certain action -- Voice,
Move or Open.
The photo exhibit is slated to travel to 12 cities across the country
during the next few months. Exact locations will be available at
http://www.actionalz.org .
Introduced in 2007, the Champions Consumer Campaign was created by the Alzheimer's Association, the world's leader in Alzheimer's care and
research, in a national effort to dispel public misperceptions and move
people to take action towards a world without Alzheimer's disease. The
Champions Campaign includes the use of provocative advertising, celebrity
involvement, public relations, online and grassroots marketing and advocacy. For more information, visit http://www.actionalz.org .
SOURCE Alzheimer's Association
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Bob DeMarco is an Alzheimer's caregiver and editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room. The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one website on the Internet for advice and insight into Alzheimer's disease. Bob taught at the University of Georgia, was an executive at Bear Stearns, the CEO of IP Group, and is a mentor. He has written more than 700 articles with more than 18,000 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
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