The Alzheimer's Project on HBO

In May HBO began to air a four part series called "THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT," a groundbreaking documentary designed to change the way America thinks about Alzheimer's disease. The series gives us a rare and very personal inside look at the faces behind the disease, the families, the caregivers, and the forces leading us to find a cure.

THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT is a presentation of HBO Documentary Films and the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health in association with the Alzheimer's Association, Fidelity® Charitable Gift Fund, and Geoffrey Beene Gives Back® Alzheimer's Initiative. The project can be viewed on the internet free of charge at www.hbo.com/alzheimers.

The first of the series, “The Memory Loss Tapes,” provides an up-close and personal look at seven individuals living with Alzheimer's, across the full spectrum of the progression of the disease. “Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? With Maria Shriver,” captures what it means to be a child or grandchild of one with Alzheimer's. “Momentum in Science,” is a two-part state-of-the-science film that takes viewers inside the laboratories and clinics of 25 leading scientists and physicians, revealing some of the most cutting-edge research advances. “Caregivers,” highlights the sacrifices and successes of people who experience their loved one's descent into dementia. The series is produced by John Hoffman; the executive producers are Sheila Nevins and Maria Shriver. Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible and progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. Today, Alzheimer's is the second mostfeared illness in America, following cancer, and may affect as many as five million Americans. As the baby boom generation moves through retirement, that number could soar to more than 11 million by 2040, and have a huge economic impact on America's already fragile health care system.