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A spoiler alert for the April 23 episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Characters Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek/Dr. McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) are engaged and one of their bridesmaids is creating a wedding Website for family, friends and fans of the show. The site, http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/MeredithGrey&DerekShepherd, will allow visitors to make donations to the couple’s favorite charities in lieu of gifts. The Alzheimer’s Association is one of these charities and a special wedding landing page, http://www.alz.org/Meredith_and_Derek, has been created to accompany the show’s storyline.

These sites go live TONIGHT when the show airs a 9 p.m. on ABC (WIVT in Binghamton, WSYR in Syracuse, WUTR in Utica, WWTI in Watertown and other stations nationwide).

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)…

The Alzheimer’s Study Group (ASG) released their final report, the National Alzheimer’s Strategic Plan, to assess the adequacy of current efforts to combat Alzheimer’s disease and to recommend strategies to combat the disease. Witnesses testified about support for research, translating research breakthroughs into treatment, ensuring quality care, and supporting families.

The television network C-SPAN is hosting the video and transcript of the session online.

California first lady Maria Shriver talked about her experience as a caregiver for her father. She also discussed several advocacy projects, including her childrens book on Alzheimer’s disease, What’s Happening to Grandpa?, and an upcoming HBO series, “The Alzheimer’s Project.” Larry Butcher talked about his experience as a caregiver for his wife, and presented Alzheimer’s Community Care as a patient care model.

In 2007, the Congressional TaskForce on Alzheimer’s Disease commissioned a panel of experts in Alzheimer’s disease and public policy to create a national plan for Alzheimer’s care. The Alzheimer’s Study Group, chaired by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Congressman Bob Kerrey, worked for nearly two years to develop a plan, which was released this week.

The report expresses urgency from its opening sentences:

Alzheimer’s disease poses a grave and growing challenge to our Nation.

Many experts already recognize that Alzheimer’s will severely affect the lives of millions of Americans
who either suffer from this disease or care for someone who does. Less appreciated are the grave economic consequences that Alzheimer’s disease, with its cumulative costs, will impose on the country. Unless we take decisive action now, the Alzheimer’s crisis could very easily surpass even the current economic crisis in the damage it inflicts on individuals and our economy.

Members of the study group, including Gingrich, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, will be on NPR’s Talk of the Nation during its 2 p.m. hour. Listen live in Central New York at WRVO. An archive of the audio will be available from NPR at 6 p.m.

A report released by the Alzheimer’s Association, Central New York Chapter today reveals that 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and that someone develops the disease every 70 seconds. The 2009 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts & Figures Report also shows that healthcare costs are, on average, three times as higher for those 65 years old and older with Alzheimer’s than those who do not have the disease.

In conjunction with the report, the Central New York Chapter released its newest population estimates for its 14-county region. The chapter estimates that there are 45,221 individuals in Central New York living with Alzheimer’s. With an average of three people — both unpaid family members or friends and paid professionals — providing direct care to each person with Alzheimer’s disease, there are now in excess of 135,600 Central New Yorkers providing Alzheimer’s disease care. This represents a 24 percent growth since the year 2000.

alzcny.org/news is your home for news about the Facts & Figures Report. In addition to the press release below, we also have links to:

• The complete 2009 Facts & Figures Report
• Central New York Alzheimer’s Disease Statistics

Also, stay tuned for updates and links to media appearances as the day goes on. The full press release appears after the jump.

Continue reading this entry…

Tune in as representatives from the Alzheimer’s Association discuss findings of a new report about Alzheimer’s in America.