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New York State’s Alzheimer’s Association Chapters saw a 17-year fight come to an end yesterday when Gov. David Paterson signed the Family Health Care Decisions Act. This historic legislation allows family members to step in and make informed, humane decisions about their loved one’s care when no directives have been made.“I could not be more pleased to sign this bill into law today as it will help ensure patients receive medical care more quickly and will help avoid unnecessary suffering,” Governor Paterson said. “After nearly two decades of negotiations, New Yorkers now have the right to make health care decisions on behalf of family members who cannot direct their own care.”

This legislation is particularly important to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. As the disease destroys a person’s cognitive abilities, making informed decisions about care may not be possible. The FHCDA allows family members to make the decisions which respect the wishes of their loved one. It also encourages New Yorkers to make plans in advance, declaring a health care proxy and defining their wishes in writing.

The Coalition of New York State Alzheimer’s Associations, of which the Central New York Chapter is a member, was a longtime advocate of the act’s passage.

Read, listen and watch coverage of the bill signing:

• 17-year quest for end-of-life law yields reform (Albany Times Union)
• Gov. Paterson Signs New Health Overhaul Law (WRVO)
• Paterson signs law allowing medical decisions without proxies (Your News Now)

Yesterday was one of the biggest days of the year at the Chapter. Our annual Facts & Figures report garners media attention from throughout the 14 counties and is a catalyst in motivating people for our cause. Here’s a rundown of newspaper articles and television reports from yesterday:

• WSYR-TV (Syracuse), which focused on Clay caregiver Tami Schanbacher.
• Syracuse.com/Post-Standard (Syracuse), which featured the report in its news and health sections
• The Observer-Dispatch (Utica), which had a lengthy article feature an interview with Saquoit caregiver Patrick Inserra.
• WKTV-TV (Utica), which featured Janice Durant, a caregiver from Oneida Castle. WKTV is a member of the Alzheimer’s Early Detetction Alliance and reporter/anchor Megan Koskovich is a member of our event planning committees.
• WWNY-TV (Watertown), which featured Limerick caregiver Yvonne Thompson and her husband Cecil. WWNY is also an AEDA member and news anchors Brian Ashley and Anne Richter-Ashley are longtime friends of the Chapter.
• News10Now (CNY), which reported the statistics.
• WAER-FM (Syracuse) conducted an interview with Tully caregiver and Chapter volunteer Kris Terrillion.
• The Ithaca Journal and The Press Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton) ran articles summarizing the statistics and the disease impact on the Southern Tier community.

WRVO-FM also taped a lengthy feature with Chapter CEO Catherine James and a 54-year-old Syracuse woman living with Alzheimer’s that will run this week.

We also put the call out to GO PURPLE! on March 9 and are pleased to see as many people as we did wearing purple in support of the cause, as our friends at WKTV and WWNY did. We are also pleased to report that more than 75 people became our friends on Facebook yesterday, a trend we are looking to continue over the coming weeks. If you are on Facebook and haven’t done so already, become a fan of our page. Once you become our friend, make sure to invite your Facebook friends to become part of the cause.

Mohawk Valley Regional Director Julie Darling spoke with Channel 2 today about our own “holiday rush” — families calling our 24-hour Helpline after spending time with their families during a holiday.

Watch it online at NewsChannel2’s website.

Alzheimer’s advocate David Hyde Pierce will appear in a segment on ABC’s Primetime Tuesday evening. The broadcast will examine Alzheimer’s caregiving and the toll it takes on families, marriage and children. One segment will be a caregivers forum, called “The Voices of Alzheimer’s Caregivers.” Producers of the broadcast are accepting questions from viewers online.

The Primetime special comes on the heels of the HBO documentary series “The Alzheimer’s Project.” The documentary can be viewed or purchased online at HBO.com.

Was it ever A Night to Remember! Thursday night was our first ultimate girls night out event in the Southern Tier and it was a smashing success. For three hours, women from throughout the region enjoyed the finest that the Southern Tier has to offer — food, fashion and services from the top businesses in the region. In case you weren’t there, we have links to our photo gallery and a report from News10Now!

Want to join us in 2010? Be the first to know the time, date and place by dropping us an e-mail!

A Night to Remember Southern Tier

Last week, we announced Time Warner Cable would provide a free preview of HBO so that its customers could view The Alzheimer’s Project — the HBO documentary which debuted last evening. The Time Warner Cable representative whom we spoke with provided incorrect information. Time Warner Cable of Central New York is not providing free HBO access this week to view the specials.

Time Warner Cable is, however, making the films available through its On-Demand service. Customers can watch all four parts of The Alzheimer’s Project free of charge on the Entertainment On-Demand Channel (Channel 551 in the Syracuse, Watertown and Mohawk Valley areas; Channel 977 in the Southern Tier). HD customers can see the films on the HD Showcase On-Demand (Channel 799 in all areas). All four parts are available now.

The films, in full, can also be viewed online at HBO.com.

The mission of this news portal is to provide the best and most accurate Alzheimer’s disease news and information to its readers. We apologize for any inconvenience.

We have heard from some people that HBO is not available free to nonsubscribing customers of Time Warner Cable. We are unsure why this is the case. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit watch the video online at HBO’s website.

We will contact Time Warner Cable on Monday to check on availability for the duration of The Alzheimer’s Project’s run.

Sunday, May 10 marks the debut of The Alzheimer’s Project, a five-part, three-night documentary series produced by HBO. Beginning this week, readers of magazines like Entertainment Weekly, People, and Time, among others, will see ads promoting the series. In addition, Maria Shriver will make three appearances on Thursday to discuss her role in the documentary, the disease and her father’s journey. She can be seen on ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN’s Larry King Live and PBS’ Charlie Rose. Check your local listings for times.

The Chapter has confirmed that HBO will be made available free of charge to subscribers the primary HBO outlets in CNY — Time Warner Cable, DIRECTV and Dish Network — during the run of The Alzheimer’s Project. HBO has extended its free preview event nationwide to all cable providers. Check with your cable company for availability.

Showings of The Alzheimer’s Project:

The Memory Loss Tapes debuts on Sunday, May 10, 9 p.m.
Additional HBO air dates: May 12 (5:30 p.m.), May 14 (10:30 a.m., 10 p.m.), May 16 (3:30 p.m.) and May 25 (12:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.)
HBO2 air dates: May 13 (8 a.m., 8 p.m.) and May 21 (10 a.m., 11:15 p.m.)

Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? With Maria Shriver debuts on Monday, May 11, 7:30 p.m.
Additional HBO air dates: May 12 (4 p.m.), May 15 (9:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m.), May 17 (3 p.m.), May 23 (8:15 a.m.) and May 27 (6:30 a.m.)
HBO2 air dates: May 13 (9:30 p.m.) and May 20 (Noon, 11 p.m.)

Momentum in Science, Part 1 debuts on Monday, May 11, 8 p.m.
Additional HBO air dates: May 12 (4:30 p.m.), May 15 (10 a.m., 8 p.m.), May 16 (5 p.m.) and May 27 (Midnight)
HBO2 air dates: May 13 (10 p.m.) and May 18 (Noon, Midnight)

Caregivers debuts Tuesday, May 12, 7 p.m.
Additional HBO air dates: May 14 (9:30 a.m., 9 p.m.), May 17 (3:30 p.m.), May 20 (Midnight) and May 30 (10a.m.)
HBO2 air dates: May 13 (Midnight) and May 17 (Midnight)

Momentum in Science, Part 2 debuts Tuesday, May 12, 8 p.m.
Additional HBO air dates: May 15 (11 a.m., 9 p.m.), May 17 (4:30 p.m.) and May 28 (Midnight)
HBO2 air dates: May 13 (11 p.m.) and May 19 (Noon, 11:30 p.m.).

Staff from the Alzheimer’s Association surprised siblings Michaela, Shauna and Landon Rice with its Outstanding Youth Volunteer awards during a special school assembly on Thursday. The trio was honored for the devoted care of their great-grandfather, who has dementia. The Rice children were nominated by Croghan resident Leah Schneider, a family friend who cited their weekly visits to the nursing home where their great-grandfather lives. The Rice children use their visits to spend time with other residents on their great-grandfather’s floor.

Schneider wrote: “Michaela, Shauna and Landon are taken to visit their great-grandfather each week. Not only do they visit their great-grandfather, but all the other patients on the floor, who adore their bright faces and smiles. The children feel very comfortable and outgoing with their great-grandfather, as well as everyone else, while sitting in their laps and giving hugs.”

News 10 Now covered the presentation and posted the video on their website.

The Alzheimer’s Association, Central New York Chapter presents an annual series of caregiving awards to family and professional caregivers, as well as children who volunteer their time caring for people with a dementing illness. More awards will be presented next week. Stay tuned for more!

Pictured with their awards, from left to right, are Landon, Michaela and Shauna Rice.

The Alzheimer’s Association, in partnership with HBO, presents The Alzheimer’s Project, a multi-platform series that examines groundbreaking Alzheimer discoveries made by the country’s leading scientists and the effects this debilitating and fatal disease has on those with Alzheimer’s and their families. The focal point of The Alzheimer’s Project is a four-night documentary series on the cable network. The debut episodes are:
Sunday, May 10 at 9 p.m. EST: The Memory Loss Tapes takes an intimate look at seven individuals living with Alzheimer’s, seeking to introduce a new understanding by sharing the devastating experience of memory loss from the point of view of the person with the disease.

Monday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. EST: “Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?” With Maria Shriver is geared toward children and young teens coping with a grandparent’s illness, and presents vignettes that can help a child understand and deal with a relative’s gradual decline into Alzheimer’s.

Monday, May 11 at 8 p.m. EST: Momentum in Science: Part I. Momentum in Science is a two-part, state-of-science odyssey that takes viewers inside the laboratories and clinics of 25 leading physicians, revealing some of the most cutting-edge Alzheimer research advances.

Tuesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. EST: Caregivers is a collection of five family portraits that illustrate caring for the different stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Tuesday, May 12 at 8 p.m. EST: Momentum in Science, Part II.

The extremely moving trailer is available online.

The full press release is inside (more)…