Celebrities step up for first TV telethon to focus on Alzheimer’s disease

There are lots of ways to raise awareness about a disease -- and having Hollywood celebrities tell their stories always helps. The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America has gathered a number of notables, many of whom have a personal connection to the disease, for its first hourlong TV telethon on Saturday night.

The Together for Care Telethon will feature, among others, actor Hector Elizondo, the foundation’s honorary chairman, who has spoken openly lately about his own family’s reluctance to seek help when his mother showed signs of Alzheimer’s back in the mid-1960s. Check out this interview at Caregiver.com.

And yes, there will be plenty of music -- from Shontelle, the (reunited) Wilson Phillips and country-music singer Brett Eldredge, who dedicated a song to his grandmother who has Alzheimer’s. Go here to see a full list of guests scheduled to be on the telethon.

But the point isn’t just to entertain. The foundation seeks to raise awareness (and funds) to fight the disease that affects more than 5 million Americans. It also invites the public to share their stories of loved ones with Alzheimer’s and their caretakers here at their discussion page on Facebook.

The telethon will be broadcast in most time zones at 8 p.m. Saturday; here’s a schedule to check when it will be on in your area.