YouTube Web Series Spotlights Alzheimers and Dementia Care

October 10, 2012

YouTube aired the three-part series “Heartache & Hope: America’s Alzheimer’s Epidemic,” a look at the people suffering from the disease and their caregivers and the work of UCLA researchers who are combating it. The series on UCTV Prime, a university-run YouTube channel featuring original programming, also spotlighted the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care program, an innovative new program offering comprehensive, coordinated care, as well as resources and support, to patients and their caregivers. The series included interviews with Dr. Liana Apostolova, an associate clinical professor of neurology; Gal Bitan, associate professor of neurology; Dr. Joshua Chodosh, associate professor of geriatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the Veterans' Cognitive Assessment and Care Management Program at the VA Greater Los Angeles; Linda Ercoli, director of geriatric psychology in the UCLA Division of Geriatric Psychiatry; Leslie Chang Evertson, care manager for the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care program; Joshua Grill, director of education for the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research; Dr. Mario Mendez, professor of neurology and psychiatry; Dr. David Reuben, director of the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care program; Dr. John Ringman, associate professor of neurology; Dr. Gary Small, Parlow-Solomon Professor on Aging and director of the UCLA Longevity Center at the Semel Institute; Dr. Zaldy Tan, medical director of the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care program; David Teplow, professor of neurology and interim director of the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research; Kathleen Tingus, assistant clinical professor of neurology, and Ellen Woo, assistant professor of neurology. Also featured are Patti Davis, daughter of President Ronald Reagan, who established a UCLA support group for caregivers, and television personality Leeza Gibbons, who lost her mother to Alzheimer’s.

Episode 1--Alzheimer’s Long and Costly Goodbye (Sept. 17)

An overview of the looming Alzheimer's epidemic and the fear and grief patients and their loved ones experience.

Episode 2—Alzheimer’s Diagnosis and Clinical Trials (Sept. 24)

Assesses the progress UCLA researchers have made in understanding the disease and highlights some promising clinical trials and diagnosis techniques that could slow its progression

Episode 3—Alzheimer’s Patient and Caregiver Support (Oct. 1)

Spotlights new models for healthcare and caregiver support emphasizing early diagnosis and support networks for everyone touched by the disease.