Wife With Dementia Caregiving Husband on 60 Minutes
Wife With Dementia, Caregiving Husband on '60 Minutes' Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Close
In a moving segment on Sunday's show, “For Better or for Worse,” CBS News chief medical correspondent Jon LaPook, M.D., presents a report based on his 10 years of interviews with former New York City cop Mike Daly and his wife, Carol, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 14 years ago and has been cared for by her husband ever since. Their story is a picture of the toll the disease takes on families.
During a recent taping of "60 Minutes," Mike Daly dances with his wife, Carol, who has dementia, while CBS News chief medical correspondent Jon LaPook plays the piano. Courtesy CBS When Carol Daly was diagnosed, fewer than 10 million Americans were or friend with Alzheimer’s, and now it’s over 16 million, according to the Alzheimer's Association. In 2010 there were more than 5 million Americans living with the illness, and that number could triple by 2050, LaPook has reported. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that that figure would cost the country $1.1 trillion a year. For caregivers such as Mike Daly, the — Daly had to keep working at a library job into his 70s to pay for Carol’s care — and emotional, as is obvious when LaPook asks how the couple are doing during the interviews. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > One part of their story gives a ray of hope. CBS News introduced the Dalys to social worker Dan Cohen’s innovative , begun in 2008, which helps people with dementia find renewed meaning through personalized music playlists, delivered on iPods and other digital devices. The program is used in more than 4,500 places nationwide. After Carol says with trembling lips, “I don’t want to be like this — I really don’t,” it is exhilarating to see her face light up the second she hears Little Peggy March's 1963 hit tune, “I Will Follow Him.” Significantly, she is able to match the meter, comprehend the melody and even remember some of the words, because such memories are more deeply lodged or widely distributed in the brain than, say, Clark Gable’s name. Neurological research has proved that music can help dementia patients. "Since the music we love is really tied to our emotional system, and our emotional system is still very much intact, that's what we're connecting and that's what still works," Cohen says on 60 Minutes. Mike is moved by seeing some of the old Carol return as she grooves to the rousing tune about lovers who are each other's destiny. “Knowing that she hasn’t lost it all — it was like 'Wow!'” More on entertainment AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS
60 Minutes Goes In-Depth on Marriage and Alzheimer s
Poignant report portrays couple s long struggle with growing illness
Mike and Carol Daly, with CBS News chief medical correspondent Jon LaPook Courtesy CBS Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. A poignant report on the television news magazine 60 Minutes, chronicling the 10-year story of a couple who have been affected by , captures both their agony and their inspiring love after more than 50 years of marriage.In a moving segment on Sunday's show, “For Better or for Worse,” CBS News chief medical correspondent Jon LaPook, M.D., presents a report based on his 10 years of interviews with former New York City cop Mike Daly and his wife, Carol, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 14 years ago and has been cared for by her husband ever since. Their story is a picture of the toll the disease takes on families.
During a recent taping of "60 Minutes," Mike Daly dances with his wife, Carol, who has dementia, while CBS News chief medical correspondent Jon LaPook plays the piano. Courtesy CBS When Carol Daly was diagnosed, fewer than 10 million Americans were or friend with Alzheimer’s, and now it’s over 16 million, according to the Alzheimer's Association. In 2010 there were more than 5 million Americans living with the illness, and that number could triple by 2050, LaPook has reported. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that that figure would cost the country $1.1 trillion a year. For caregivers such as Mike Daly, the — Daly had to keep working at a library job into his 70s to pay for Carol’s care — and emotional, as is obvious when LaPook asks how the couple are doing during the interviews. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > One part of their story gives a ray of hope. CBS News introduced the Dalys to social worker Dan Cohen’s innovative , begun in 2008, which helps people with dementia find renewed meaning through personalized music playlists, delivered on iPods and other digital devices. The program is used in more than 4,500 places nationwide. After Carol says with trembling lips, “I don’t want to be like this — I really don’t,” it is exhilarating to see her face light up the second she hears Little Peggy March's 1963 hit tune, “I Will Follow Him.” Significantly, she is able to match the meter, comprehend the melody and even remember some of the words, because such memories are more deeply lodged or widely distributed in the brain than, say, Clark Gable’s name. Neurological research has proved that music can help dementia patients. "Since the music we love is really tied to our emotional system, and our emotional system is still very much intact, that's what we're connecting and that's what still works," Cohen says on 60 Minutes. Mike is moved by seeing some of the old Carol return as she grooves to the rousing tune about lovers who are each other's destiny. “Knowing that she hasn’t lost it all — it was like 'Wow!'” More on entertainment AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS