Every 66 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease; every minute, a family is changed forever. In the coming decades, the number of Latino families impacted by this progressive brain disease will grow dramatically due to an increase in the Latino older adult population and higher rates of of diabetes and heart disease, both risk factors for Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

According to a recent report by the USC Roybal Institute on Aging and the LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Network, the number of Latinos living with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia could reach 1.1 million by 2030 and cost Latino families as much as $30 billion annually. However, Latinos are less likely to receive an accurate diagnosis, access formal care services, or enroll in Alzheimer’s clinical trials due to stigma, misunderstanding about the disease, and a distrust of the research enterprise.

For all these reasons and more, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s is proud to partner with PBS on the development and rollout of a new documentary called “Alzheimer’s: Every Minute Counts,” which aims to illuminate the social and economic consequences of Alzheimer’s for the country.

Daisy Duarte, left, takes her mother Sonia shopping in 2014. Photo by Ed Kashi.

With power and passion, the documentary weaves together expert commentary with compelling personal stories filmed around the country that represent previews of the future happening today. Forming the backbone of the documentary is the story of Daisy Duarte, who is a caregiver for her mom, Sonia, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s. Daisy is also a carrier of the gene, indicating THAT she will likely have an early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis of her own. Daisy is a caregiver advocate for the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Latino Network.

The documentary is an urgent wake-up call about the national threat posed by Alzheimer’s disease. Watch the trailer here, and be sure to encourage your friends and family to tune in this Wednesday, 1/25 at 10pm EST on PBS.

If you’re on Twitter or Facebook, join the the social media conversation about this important film with the hashtag #EveryMinuteCountsPBS.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Diverse Elders Coalition.