A Child of Alzheimer's Speaks Out

What scares you the most?

Shriver: Getting it. And who's going to take care of me? I have a lot of friends who are single. There are a lot of aging single women. They're terrified. Who's going to take care of them? There aren't enough caregivers to go around.

What are you hoping for in these films?

Shriver: I hope that political leaders will see this the way President Kennedy saw in 1960 the chance to break through to a new frontier and put a man on the moon. I hope that our leaders will look at this and say, "The next frontier is the brain, and we need to figure out a cure for what ails the brain." I hope baby boomers will look at this and say, "This is an epidemic that will ravage our generation unless we push to find a cure." So, I'm hoping that people will watch this across generations and talk about it. I think this is television at its best. I understand that it's not light and fun. It asks a lot of the viewer, and I hope at the end of it, people will be moved to act.

Has the Alzheimer's Study Group, an advisory panel established by Congress, thought about the research funding needs and the fiscal repercussions of Alzheimer's?

Shriver: They did. Newt Gingrich and Bob Kerry both testified that it's fiscally responsible to spend money now to find a cure because it will save us so much money. It is the most expensive disease in existence, it lasts the longest, it takes down the entire family - not only the person who has the disease.

For more information about the films, DVD or books, visit  The Alzheimer's Project.

For tips on caring for a parent with Alzheimer's see: 7 Tips for Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's.

For information and advice about caring for elderly relatives, visit caring.com.