- wbur.org/tags/alzheimers
- wbur.org/2011/10/20/alzheimers-panel-video
- wbur.org/2011/10/09/your-alzheimers-stories
- wbur.org/2011/10/09/alzheimers-resources
Provide names of other journalists involved.
Sacha Pfeiffer (Reporter), Monica Brady-Myerov (Reporter), Deb Becker (Reporter), Rachel Gotbaum (Reporter), Jesse Costa (Photographer)
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
17-Nov-11
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
As the country’s 78 million baby boomers turn 65, the age when Alzheimer’s significantly increases, cases of Alzheimer’s are expected to skyrocket. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, ten million or one in eight members of the boomer generation will develop Alzheimer’s. We concluded it was important to engage in substantive reporting on the state of the disease at this juncture, to explore how far the research has come, why so little progress has been made curing or preventing the disease and what the future of research holds? We also explored the state of funding for Alzheimer’s and how are we as a society preparing for the tsunami of cases expected in the coming decades. We learned that this is a critical time to address these issues because experts warn unless progress is made soon, the coming explosion of cases may be the greatest health crisis facing the nation, causing widespread suffering as well as huge strains on the country’s healthcare system.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
We relied heavily on medical journals to explore both the past and latest research. We relied on many government documents to determine the level of NIH funding for Alzheimer’s and how that compares to funding for other life threatening diseases.
Explain types of human sources used.
We spoke to many different sources for this effort– those suffering from the disease and their families; medical doctors and researchers; advocates; elder care experts, private fundraisers as well as one of our Congressmen.
Results:
We used this reporting as well as additional supporting materials to create a rich web area that included users’ personal stories about their struggles with Alzheimer’s, a resource list to provide deeper coverage, and other supplementary reporting to enhance our coverage. We were told by the local Alzheimer’s Association that calls to the organization increased significantly as people sought help and advice. Further we received significant feedback from listeners and users who told us that were educated not only about the disease, but about the urgency for funding and planning for the decades ahead.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No Follow-up
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
I would advise journalists in every market to take on this story. So many victims of Alzheimer’s say they still feel that there is a stigma attached to the disease and as a result they suffer silently. Further it is critical to report in every community what planning is taking place to house and care for future victims of Alzheimer’s. Finally it is critical to get information to families about what resources in their community are available to help them through the ordeal of this terrible disease.