FISHERS, Ind. — Olivia Purevich has a special connection to the NBC show "This Is Us."
"This year, I've been really cued in, watching it live every Tuesday night," said Purevich, who has watched the show for the last six years. "It talks about real life issues that are hard topics."
Those hard topics include dementia and Alzheimer's.
"I think if you haven't been through it, you don't really understand it. You don't really know how difficult it is," said Purevich.
Purevich's father lived with Alzheimer's for 10 years. He was diagnosed at the age of 52. He died in 2020.
"He was diagnosed with what's called early onset or younger onset Alzheimer's, and a lot of people don't realize that that's a thing. It's not just elderly people," said Purevich.
In "This Is Us," Rebecca Pearson goes through stages of mild cognitive impairment before progressing to Alzheimer's.
"It was extremely emotional watching Rebecca go through the different stages of the disease and I think the show nailed it. I mean, they really depicted it, how it is. From the conversations with the doctor that she had, just seeing the sadness through her eyes when she was diagnosed, and then the talks with the different family members and they all sat down and figured out a care plan for her," said Purevich.
The Alzheimer's Assciation of Greater Indiana recently released an annual report that found most Americans don't know what mild cognitive impairment is and aren't aware that it can be a precursor to Alzheimer's.
Purevich said there were some difficult parts of the show to watch.
"It's when the family members talked to Miguel, her husband, about, 'Hey, you've done a great job. I think it's time for some help with some home care.' That is a conversation our family had. We sat down. My mom, my sister, me. We had to have that exact same conversation. The tears were really coming down that episode," said Purevich.
Those tears reminding her of her father.
"He lived a life well-lived, only thing it was cut way too short. If my dad were on that train like Rebecca was, I don't think he would have any regrets," said Purevich.
Six-and-a-half million Americans are living with Alzheimer's.
The Alzheimer's Association offers 24/7 support for individuals and families through its hotline at 1-800-272-3900.