The fight against dementia is on the verge of a breakthrough; this is the story of the scientists and families leading the effort.
Defeating Dementia | Trailer
The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s, but there are also many rare related dementias and neurological conditions, including FTD, PSP, Parkinson’s and ALS. The fight against all dementias is on the verge of dramatic breakthroughs. Defeating Dementia is the story of the scientists and families leading the effort.
This documentary will shine a light on age and ethnic disparities, among others, in the fight to conquer these diseases. The voices of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, today, are not the ones you expect. A disproportionate number are women, and a disproportionate number are people of color. Ten percent are in the prime of life.
Dementias are not a natural part of aging. All are complex, devastating diseases that are costly to diagnose. With inadequate support from insurance, families frequently exhaust their life savings in the diagnosis process, and in caring for their loved ones. Collectively, Alzheimer’s and related dementias are the most expensive of the leading causes of death. Costing over $350 billion a year, these diseases threaten to bankrupt our nation.
A National Crisis
- More than 1 in 10 people age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s or related dementias.
- Alzheimer’s is more common in women than men.
- Every year, 350,000 people under age 65 develop Alzheimer’s or other dementias.
- Over 6 million people in the U.S. and 55 million globally are living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
- 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
- Black men and women over 65 are about twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older white men and women.
- Latino men and women over 65 are about one and a half times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older white men and women.
- 40% of dementias may be preventable through lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and sleep.
The documentary will feature personal stories of triumph, loss and courage, and will reveal what we most value, what we most fear, and, above all, what makes us human.
Thanks to a new generation of drugs, breakthroughs in early detection and advances in genetics, scientists are finally on the verge of improving the lives of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. And advances in brain science are opening up novel ways of treating these diseases, using the immune system and stem cells. After decades of disappointment, this work opens up a new era of hope for people with dementias and the promise of dramatic advances in early detection and treatment.
Defeating Dementia tells the story of this medical revolution. The film will report on the first ever clear success in a pivotal clinical trial; the experimental drug slowed the rate of decline in cognition in people with Alzheimer’s. There are over a hundred other new Alzheimer’s drugs in clinical trials, many targeting a variety of novel mechanisms, including the immune system.
Looking ahead, the most exciting development is the promise that highly targeted genetic and cellular medicines will be able to treat, and even regenerate, damaged areas of the brains of people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Ours is the first generation in the history of these devastating diseases where there’s finally hope.
Defeating Dementia is executive produced by Seven One Eight Studios (Chris Durrance) & WETA (John F. Wilson / Tom Chiodo)
Defeating Dementia is slated to premiere on PBS & Well Beings.org in the fall of 2025.