HERE.
WE ARE REALLY BRITISHIATE IT.
TODAY IN AMERICA SOME FIVE
MILLION PEOPLE WITH ALZHEIMER'S
BUT AS MORE BABY BOOMERS BECOME
SENIORS THE NUMBERS ARE EXPECTED
TO CLIMB TO ROUGHLY SIXTEEN
MILLION BY 2015.
WILL PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS BE
PREPARED TO HANDLE THE GROWING
NUMBER OF CASES?
A PROGRAM IN NORTHWESTERN
UNIVERSITY HAS AN UNUSUAL
APPROACH TO EQUIP THE NEXT
GENERATION OF PHYSICIANS.
JAY SHEFSKY HAS MORE.
>> Reporter: GEORGE BALCH IS IF
THE WHAT YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU
THINK OF AN ALZHEIMER'S PATIENT.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FORGETTING
THIS BOOK FOR ME.
THIS IS THE SECOND ONE IN THIS
SERIES.
>> Reporter: GEORGE HAS DONE A
LOT IN HIS LIFE, A POLITICAL
SCIENCE PROFESSOR AN ADVERTISING
EXECUTIVE AND A PUBLIC HEALTH
CONSULTANT AND HE IS STILL AN
AVOID RUNNER.
ABOUT A YEAR AGO GEORGE WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH ALZHEIMER'S.
>> I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS
WRONG.
I WAS WORKING ON ONE OF MY
PROJECTS, BUT ALL THESE PAGES.
AND WAIT A MINUTE, DID I SEE
THAT AGAIN.
THIS ONE, WAIT A MINUTE, THAT
WAS OVER THERE.
I WAS REALLY FRUSTRATED.
SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE.
I CAN'T DO THIS.
AND I CAN'T HAVE THIS GO OUT
WITH MY NAME ON IT.
AND A FEW MONTHS AFTER HIS
DIAGNOSIS, GEORGE TOOK ON
ANOTHER HEALTH RELATED PROJECT.
>> ERIC, WELCOME!
GEORGE'S NEW PROJECT IS TO TEACH
A YOUNG MEDICAL STUDENT ABOUT
ALZHEIMER'S.
>> ALL RIGHT, WHY DON'T YOU TAKE
THE ONES HERE.
ERIC IS A FIRST YEAR MEDICAL
STUDENT AT NORTH WESTERN'S
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.
HE AND GEORGE SPEND FOUR HOURS
TOGETHER EACH MONTH AND GO TO
MUSEUMS AND RESTAURANTS AND
COFFEE SHOPS, AND SOMETIMES THEY
JUST SIT AND CHAT.
>> RUNNING HASN'T BEEN AS BAD AS
I FEARED IT WOULD BE.
THIS MORNING...
>> Reporter: THEIR CONVERSATIONS
RANGE FROM POLITICS TO RUNNING
TO PUBLIC HEALTH.
BUT THE REASON THEY ARE TOGETHER
IS FOR ERIC TO LEARN ABOUT
ALZHEIMER'S BY GETTING TO KNOW
SOMEONE WITH THE DISEASE.
>> AND HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?
>> Reporter: THEY CAME TOGETHER
AS PART OF THE BUDDY'S PROGRAM.
RUN BY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
COGNITIVE NEUROLOGY AND
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE CENTER.
A PROFESSOR AT THE CENTER AND
CREATED THE PROGRAM IN 1997.
SHE SAYS IT IS MEANT TO
SUPPLEMENT THEIR MORE SCIENCIVIC
STUDY.
THEY WILL LEARN ABOUT THE FACTS
OF THE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IN
THEIR TEXTBOOKS AND REALLY
MAKING ROUNDS IN THE HOSPITALS
AND IN THE OUT PATIENT CLINICS
AND THEY WILL SEE PATIENTS WITH
THE DISEASE.
WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDING
IS A VERY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE,
AND THAT IS NOT CLINICAL AT ALL.
>> I FORGOT TO ASK YOU THIS?
I VAGUELY REMEMBER, VAGUELY IS
THE ONLY WAY I CAN DO IT, DO YOU
SEE ANOTHER WORD?
>> THEY ARE THERE TO LEARN.
AND DEVELOP A FRIENDSHIP OVER
THE COURSE OF THE YEAR.
ERIC SAYS FROM THE MOMENT THEY
MET, HIS IMAGE OF ALZHEIMER'S
WAS SHAKEN.
>> I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST
LESSONS I LEARNED IS THAT PEOPLE
WITH ALZHEIMER'S HAVE A LOT TO
OFFER STILL.
I HAD THE PRECONCEPTION THAT HE
WOULDN'T BE SO HIGH FUNCTIONING.
I HAD STEREOTYPED IT.
>> HE ACTUALLY FOR QUITE A WHILE
WITHDREW FROM SOCIAL INTERACTION
AND DIDN'T WANT TO SEE HIS OLD
FRIENDS, HE WAS AFRAID HE
WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO CARRY ON A
GOOD CONVERSATION.
WHEN WE GOT INVOLVED WITH
NORTHWESTERN AND WE GOT INVOLVED
WITH THE BUDDY PROGRAM IT MADE A
BIG DIFFERENCE.
AND SHE SAYS HER HUSBAND HAS
IMBRACED THIS NEW PROJECT.
HE'S A BORN TEACHER.
AND MEANTOR.
BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH SOMEBODY
AND FEEL LOOK HE WAS TEACHING
THEM SOMETHING, EVEN AT THIS
POINT IN HIS LIVE WAS IMPORTANT.
ERIC SAYS WHILE MANCHESTER OF
WHAT HE LEARNED COMES FROM BEING
WITH GEORGE, GEORGE ALSO OFFERS
GUIDANCE TO HOW TO BE WITH
SOMEONE WITH ALZHEIMER'S.
SOME PEOPLE WOULD THINK OH MY
GOD MY LIFE IS ALL OVER.
I WISH I COULD DO IT.
BUT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT
YOU CAN DO.
GEORGE'S APPROACH TO THE DISEASE
HAS BEEN REMARKABLY POSITIVE,
AND PRACTICAL.
YOU KNOWS HIS SYMPTOMS WILL
PROGRESS.
BUT HE IS DETERMINED TO MAKE A
CONTRIBUTION FOR ADMINISTRATION
HE CAN.
FOR "CHICAGO TONIGHT", THIS IS
JAY SHEFSKY.
>>> ON OUR WEBSITE YOU CAN FIND
OUT MORE ABOUT THE BUDDY
PROGRAM, AND READ AN INTERVIEW