Public Invited to Screenings of HBO Alzheimer’s Series at UAMS
| LITTLE ROCK – The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) starting June 1 will host a series of public screenings and panel discussions of HBO’s four-part series “The Alzheimer’s Project” at the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.
The 90-minute films are free to the public, but reservations are required. Each screening and discussion will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on June 1, 8, 15 and 22 in the Jo Ellen Ford Auditorium at the UAMS Institute on Aging, 629 Jack Stephens Dr.
For reservations, call Marsha Hines at 501-526-6553 or e-mail HinesMarshaM@uams.edu.
Each film segment will explore a facet of Alzheimer’s disease and will be followed by discussion panels that include physicians, medical researchers, caregivers and family members. Panelists will vary for each session depending on their area of expertise.
The four films are:
• June 1, The Memory Loss Tapes – Captures the devastating experience of memory loss from the patient’s point of view and bears witness to what it is like to slowly lose one’s mind.
• June 8, Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? With Maria Shiver – Geared to children and young teens coping with a grandparent’s illness. Maria Shriver, whose father was diagnosed with the disease, provides commentary and guidance through five insightful lessons.
• June 15, Momentum in Science – The current explosion of knowledge within the scientific and medical communities is detailed. It outlines the roles of genetics and lifestyle and highlights progress being made in the development of drugs to treat or even prevent Alzheimer’s.
• June 22, Caregivers – Five family portraits that illustrate caring for individuals in different stages of Alzheimer’s.
Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., executive director of the Institute on Aging, said she was pleased to be able to offer the film series in cooperation with HBO.
“Alzheimer’s is the second most feared illness in America behind cancer, and it may affect as many as 5 million Americans,” Wei said. “As baby boomers reach retirement, that number could soar to more than 11 million by 2040, and this could have a huge economic impact on America’s already fragile health care system.”
The HBO program began airing on May 10 and is part of a national discussion to encourage the public to learn more about the disease, the research being conducted and to gain greater understanding of the issues surrounding Alzheimer’s.
UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a new 540,000-square-foot hospital, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,652 students and 733 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.
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