“Over five million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease. It has become the 6th leading cause of death.” (Facts and Figures) It is the disease that cannot be slowed, stopped, or prevented.
Odell Public Library and the Odell Pubic Library Friends will present both a discussion–led by Nancy Sweitzer, Central Illinois Chapter Alzheimer’s Association–and the poignant film ,”Still Alice,” on Sunday, October 18, 2015, at 1:30 in the Program Room at Odell Public Library, 307 S. Madison Street, Morrison, IL.
This is a subject that no longer can be hidden in the shadows.
Sweitzer will answer questions, lead a discussion, and offer educational literature. Topics include
- the basics of Alzheimer’s Disease
- ten warning signs
- local support groups
- question and answer session.
Based on the book “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova, the film stars Julianne Moore and Alec Baldwin as Alice and John Howland. Moore’s brilliant, honest portrayal as a professor of linguistics depicts a woman at the triumphant height of her career. At age fifty, she has it all: a loving husband, three children, and a career she loves. Then, she forgets a word during a lecture; gets lost on campus; misplaces things. She is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Alice uses her intelligence to mask her disease. She memorizes words on a blackboard. She sets a series of personal questions on her phone, which she answers every morning. Just as her family looks for the ever-fainter signs of their mother behind her eyes, we watch Alice turn invisible in her own skin.
“In each scene, Moore peels a little bit more of Alice away as the emotional pain of the disease takes its toll,” stated G. Ellwood of Hitfix. The crisis is all there in the title. Is she “still” Alice?
Alzheimer’s Disease will be looked at factually and through a compassionate movie. It cannot be ignored, for it touches us all.