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To express their fears I'm afraid of what it is that I may be doing in my life and record their high school kids are those stories this is a kid who pushes the limits. You wanna grow up so quick but when you're older you just trying to carry their American high. Tonight apparently you're on WQED 30 WQ broadcast of all Q magazine is made possible by grants from the whole of the Evelyn foundation the Richard Mellon Foundation the foundation the Pittsburgh foundation the Henry L. Hillen foundation. Health Care Foundation corporate funding is provided by UPMC health plan. But you always wished your health plan would be quality choice. Access to specialists without a referral. For more information. 1 8 8 8 3 8 3.

And by the members of. Next on cue another installment in our series on baby boomers and the issues that affect them. Tonight the focus is on caring for parents with all timers. Also tonight a PDA so conductor has put together a CD lullaby. You'll hear some of them live. That's all next. So stay with us and look at things differently. On cue starts right now. Hello I'm Chris Moore Carol ESB is out on assignment tonight. Coming up a

multimillion dollar lawsuit filed here in Pittsburgh over the hiring of minority contractors. We're also going to check in with Debbie QED FM's Jim Cunningham for a special preview of what our FM partners have for you in April. But first Stacy Smith has tonight's cover story Stacey. Thank you Chris. Perhaps this has happened in your family your wife always misplaces your keys and just recently can't remember what those keys will open. Your grandfather enjoys his daily walk but in the past month he couldn't find his way home. Forgetfulness confusion disorientation all possible symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. And here in southwestern Pennsylvania all Simers or ADHD affects nearly forty eight thousand people. And that number is expected to grow as baby boomers enter their senior years. And tonight on cue continues a series on issues that affect baby boomers. Carol has a story of a boy who has become involved. However this movement

away her 83 year old how disoriented and he doesn't recognize anymore not even her

except for his physical appearance. He was who graduated with a chemical engineering degree decided to put their father into personal care. You're just afraid to walk out the door and you're it. That said yes it was time to make that change. Just like that the tide has definitely changed for baby boomers like they become parents of their parents. For families of all time or is patience mom or dad may not be there anymore. Not in my mind not in spirit. And that takes painful emotional adjustment. Dr. Daniel coffer understands. He's a neurologist at the University of Pittsburgh

Medical Center. How are you doing today. OK. I'm going to roll I just and I would like to test some of your reflexes. Physically many patients look perfectly normal. And I think in some ways because the signs are not so obvious it makes it harder to deal with. Not to mention the fact that it's not just a physical type of demand placed on them but they're really losing this person who was a if fixture in their white. For there is no shortcut to diagnosing it. Most all timers patients are not even aware of that they have the disease. So doctors often rely on family members to get them evaluated and diagnosis may include a physical exam blood tests MRI brain scan and memory tests. Any problems driving that way. So you go with her memory no.

It's very common for patients who have Alzheimer's to know that they can remember 30 years ago without any difficulty but have trouble remembering what they have for breakfast. And that's indicative of a problem actually making a new memory as opposed to recalling just why that was. Doctors don't know but what they do know is that in advanced stages brains of all patients undergo abnormal changes. If you looked at a patients brain with Alzheimer's disease you would see a great deal of shrinkage here along the parietal lobe as well as in the temporal lobe along the base of the brain. If you cut the brain down the middle here the area that would be most severely affected would be back here in the medial temporal lobe. This is where the hippocampus and other

structures play a vital role in learning and short term memory are. This is a sample from Alzheimer patients brain. And this is the hippocampal formation. We are studying. You can see a little corner on section through that structure. It's nice to hear in a lab that Western psych researchers look for evidence of timers in the brain tissue of deceased patients analyzing tissue is the only true way to determine whether a person had suffered fires in their lifetime brain tissue was placed in a preserved solution which sliced died and mounted onto a slide where it's examined under a microscope then viewed on a computer screen to change examination can reveal Simers patients in the name of this protein This is called amyloid better protein and it is increasingly produced

and the brains of the patients. This looks like a lot is this an advanced case of Alzheimer's patients. What else are you looking for that we are looking for an angle as those other interests changes that affect in the brain. Doctors are also working on ways to identify those who are at risk even before they develop symptoms of a neuro imaging techniques like positron emission tomography or PET scans show metabolic activity in the brain using small amounts of radioactivity. Dr. Carolyn Meltzer is the medical director at UPMC pet facility. How early can you detect a day in someone. This is on this. This is just being explored certainly in some cases. We can see these changes before a clinical diagnosis of it.

Alzheimer's disease is clear. And right now researchers are looking to see how early can we really tell these changes now that new medications are coming out. Scans can take up to an hour and a half and revealed so-called graphic slides of the brain. This is a pain in the brain and we see the uptake of glucose or sugar as the brain uses sugar. It's pretty evenly spread through cortex or the thinking portions of the brain in the in the Alzheimer's you can see that there are lower levels lower down on this scale. He is keeping a close eye on all timers research for new drugs or procedures that might help her dad. She's also involved in more grassroots efforts to help wipe out the disease. I'm on the board of the old timers and actively involved and raising money for family

care and her research with the hopes that it's my turn. We're going to we're going to find something that advises anyone going through a similar situation to take advantage of the help that is available and you can learn more by contacting the great obits Pittsburgh chapter of the Alzheimer's Association at 1 800 6 5 2 3 3 7 0. And here now to talk more about Alzheimer's is Dr. Stephen de KOSKY he is the head of the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer Research Center. And Sue Smith the executive director of the local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association thank you so much for both being with us this evening on cue. Doctor going to ask you first I did a series of reports on this 17 years ago and it doesn't sound like much has changed in the last 17 years you still don't know for sure whether someone has all timers until they die. I mean absolutely positively sure. And it doesn't look like

much can be done in diagnosing the disease before it's already started to take a major turn. Stacy I'm glad to tell you that that's actually very different than the perception a lot of people wholl Unfortunately people sometimes hold onto impressions even while data are changing. Fifteen years ago we would hospitalized people who we thought had a dementia such as Alzheimer's disease usually for two or three days. We would do a whole series of tests. People who have someone with a D in their family know that hospitals aren't good places for them to be because they're strange they're different the routines are different they don't have familiar things around them. Now the evaluation for Alzheimer's disease is entirely done as an outpatient. There is no painful or dangerous procedure associated in the accuracy of diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease exceeds 90 percent. When you use the standardized methods that have been developed we don't miss diseases that would be immediately be treatable and reversible the things that we occasionally don't see correctly don't diagnose

correctly. Are there other kinds of closely related degenerative dementia. What about on the treatment and as much progress there. We have four medications which are currently approved by the FDA for use in Alzheimer's disease one of them actually will be released next month the first came out in 1993 and is a mark of the improvement or the acceleration of knowledge in research. The next one came out in 97. Four years later then three years later now one year later there are although these medications will work through the same chemical system in the brain. There are three or four different kinds of medications for symptomatic treatment that are in treatment trials experimental trials right now. The Holy Grail for this disorder will be what was alluded to before which is trying to find a way to slow down the progression of the disease. These symptomatic drugs do appear to slow clinical progression they work in the majority of people where the FDA wouldn't approve them. What we're looking for now is a way to attack the plaques and the

tangles that were seen in the previous film stopping the development of these we think is the key to slowing down or preventing the disease from occurring. So why did this story a series of stories also 17 years ago. It was very very difficult on people like gay Fogarty and that's still the case now today isn't it that most people in western Pennsylvania are taking care of their parents as opposed to having them in some sort of nursing facility. Right about seven in 10 people are cared for at home who are diagnosed. So it's really significantly important for the research to happen so we can eradicate this disease but also to support families because it is very difficult as was pointed out recently in the in the driving incident that happened in Pittsburgh. You know people need places like the association and resources that they can come to to get answers and to get help and support and making really awful awfully difficult decisions throughout the process of the disease. How can you offer the support what do you do. We do a helpline where people can call in with any type of question needing any type of information

our staff we've a professional staff who answers that phone will help them out. We also have education programs for families we have support groups for families. And we have a safe return program as gay said one of her fears was her dad wandering away. And so we have a national safe return program to help people be will be returned back home if they do wander. Doctor do KOSKY Sushma thank you so much for being with us and unfortunately many more people are dead because the number of people who are growing older. We're going to see a rise in this disease. Hopefully the research will start to bring is as you started to say some at least slowing down of this process. That's our goal. Thank you. Coming up next controversy over minority contractors in Pittsburgh after this look at tomorrow on cue. The Frick family archives do they belong here or in New York City. Well there's a sort of one in the works from our own Q Which part of Pittsburgh's history stays and which part goes Also tomorrow. What's brewing at the O'Reilly theatre. TV it's a compelling play about

Japanese war brides. You'll meet the actors and learn more about this poignant era in American history and the Thursday live performance. They call it cerebral hard rock from a band called Page One. All tomorrow on last week on WQED black arises I interviewed John Taylor. He's with an organization that monitors publicly funded construction projects here in the city. Last week they filed a three hundred and fifty five million dollar federal lawsuit charging that the lead minority contractors on the stadiums and convention center are fronts. He also charges that they exist with the help of local politicians. Now in just a few seconds we'll have the city's response to those allegations. But first a clip of my interview with Mr. Taylor. First politician we went to was bizarre they saw they was very interested in hearing. He wanted names he wanted figures he wanted dates and he was

times and we had all this information we can. We approached him and he told us Well listen I don't want to hear nothing I don't have no names I don't hear nothing. I want to be involved in this. Mr. routine told you that. Oh yes he told me just to my face that he didn't want to be involved in it. Right. So this left you no choice but to file the suit. Joining us to respond Pittsburgh councilman Salo Dina in that interview He further went on to say that you extol the praises of those people that he calls fronts. He says he has gone to their offices where there is nothing more than a storefront and a telephone he charges and lead contractor is assigned a fat painter who's been given the contract for erecting steel and doesn't even own a crane or any of the other equipment to do that. How do you response. Well I don't know. Want to get into a back and forth with Mr. Taylor. When I first met Mr. Taylor was about a year ago

he led me to believe that he was an attorney. It turns out that he is not an attorney. Then he appeared before counsel and several members of counsel tried to press him for specifics and evidence of the allegations that he was making because the allegations are some pretty serious allegations. He was not able or willing to come forward with that evidence. And so once you start talking about a lawsuit and especially if the city is the subject of that lawsuit I as a member of the city council have to be very careful and guarded in what I say in response to it. So I'm not in a debate with Mr. Taylor. I will say though that you know as well as most people in the city that I've been fighting against a system which I think is a terrible system in terms of excluding minority contractors excluding minority skilled workers from construction practices.

And in fact you've answered legislation that would have certain percentages hired. It ends at any time city money is spent on a construction contractor and doing disparity studies and doing all the things that the Supreme Court now says we have to do in order to prove discrimination when how does this make you feel to have these kind of charges leveled at all I'm glad to see that people are taking on the system because there are some serious problems in the system as a matter of fact. I asked the mayor in a press press release a couple weeks ago to consider getting in touch with the state attorney general and the district attorney forming a task force to develop some expertise within their offices to prosecute contractors who are acting as fronts or past rules or some of these prime contractors which is where it seems to me organizations like the one Mr. Taylor represents in some of the media accounts seem to always want to attack the minority contractors. But they never say anything about the big prime time.

Right. If these people are friends then the primes are responsible for them being present you know. That's exactly right. And her situation she turned that kind of offer down because she said she would not be a friend. So this kind of stuff must go on somewhere. It goes on quite a bit but it is a very sophisticated. And hidden procedure because it is very illegal anyway to get to the bottom of it with his lawsuit I think that I just have to force put together by the attorney general and district attorney I think that a very good failsafe program put together by the city and county which I am currently trying to do that certifies programs and make sure that they are who they say they are and when they do contracting they only get the percentages of credit that they deserve the things that can be done but it takes a serious concentrated effort and not just somebody running off at the mouth and making accusations that they can't prove. All right when he says he can prove mine we'll see what happens when it comes out he will or the student Thanks for being here with us I was relaying. Up next why APF so conductor hopes to put you to

sleep. But first this look at the PNC pass community calendar. You can always count on a sneak preview of what's ahead on your station manager Jim leisure. Well what do you got out there for the most soothing calming music in town no question a nine point three tomorrow night 7:00 o'clock tune in for symphony weekend with my fiance as we take a look at what's happening at Heinz Hall. This weekend you'll hear Evelyn Glennie She's an amazing percussion soloist that's coming into town. Marci answers of course we're talking about the concert Robert Paige who conducts the Mendelssohn choir this weekend at Heinz Hall That's tomorrow night at 7:00 and repeats on Saturday morning at 10:00 Saturday

afternoon we have the Metropolitan Opera. This is the only station in town where you can hear those live broadcasts from New York City as they happen. This one starts at noon it's a long five six hours with Wagners Parsifal but in between the intermissions have the Texaco quiz kits. Do you think it's only old people that like classical music these are high school students. They're absolutely amazing they know everything about music and I think they'll knock you out on the quiz kids Saturday afternoon a little later Saturday afternoon 2:00. I'll be there at Borders in Monroeville with our WQED FM ensemble in residence Chatham baroque. They're going to play live and you don't have to buy anything just come on out and say hello we're giving away stuff and their new CD is going to be released it's called the reel of Tulloch it's their fifth and it's available around the world you can buy it on the wall at Tower Records in Tokyo and you can buy it in downtown Atlanta for a weekend. Big weekend. And speaking of CDs we have something very special for you. This is a new CD from Lucas Richman and Debbie Richmond Lucas is the assistant conductor with the Pittsburgh Symphony it's called day is done an album of lullabies and they're going to perform

the title track day is done live in our studio here on cue. They are so close. And this son

she sits next to you. Still with Shadow Knight it's mellowed and the.

Bravo you guys are terrific go live without a net. Lucas and Debbie Richmond of the new CD is called they has done an album of all of us. How do you get the idea to put this together you've got some classics on here and pieces like the one you just did that you wrote the whole thing came out of a an idea with the Pittsburgh Symphony. We had an early childhood symposium which determines it was about the importance of singing to our young kids. And I wrote a piece for the symphony called I Remember lullaby the lullaby that these kids remembered in this big piece was day is done. And we decided to put a whole CD together so we can get all the kids singing with their parents so the idea is singing to your children and parents aren't saying. It isn't so important it's that the magic of the lullaby stayed with me.

Stay with me for my entire life. You two are husband and wife I haven't even said hello it's nice to meet you there because it's a pleasure to sign that absolutely terrific and I wish we had more time to talk but I want to hear one more little by from the collection you're going to do tumbling time in just a moment but just saying goodbye we have Stacey and Chris. Right. He's going to sleep. All right that's going to do it for us babies even though you got that right a reminder though you can catch a rebroadcast of on cue weeknights at 11:30 and weekday afternoons at 12:30. Or you can watch it on your computer by logging on to w w w dot broadcast dot com slash television slash WQED. You ready go sleep. Yeah and now I'm back to Lucas and then Richmond to play us out with tumbling. Good night. Moving to

your sister. This was broadcast live on Q magazine is made possible by grants from

the Everly foundation. RICHARD KINGSMILL and childish and foundation the Pittsburgh Foundation and the Dillon foundation the Jewish Health Care Foundation and the Grable Foundation and by the members of WQED.