The co-founders of Edelman Financial Engines and the firm itself will pledge $1 million each to help produce a documentary highlighting potential medical and research advancements in halting the progression of Alzheimer's disease, the firm announced.
Ric and Jean Edelman said the film would detail the work of Dr. Dean Ornish, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Ornish believes that a number of diet and lifestyle changes may be able to slow (and even stop) the progression of symptoms in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
“Far too many families have been devastated by this horrible illness that robs people not just of their lives but of their dignity,” Jean Edelman said. “We are proud to be supporting Dr. Ornish in his efforts and telling the world of his remarkable work.”
According to Edelman, Ornish is conducting randomized clinical trials to see if “lifestyle medicine”—including changes in diet, exercise and stress levels—could reverse how early-stage Alzheimer’s progresses in patients. If successful, the treatment could be of assistance to the more than 5 million people in the country diagnosed with the disease.
The documentary, which is scheduled for release in 2021, will be directed by Louie Psihoyos, who won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for 2009’s "The Cove," which detailed the calamitous effects of dolphin hunting in Japan. He also directed “Racing Extinction” and “The Game Changers,” a 2018 documentary with Arnold Schwarznegger that illustrated the benefits of plant-based diets.
“As a documentary filmmaker, my hope is to illuminate an important subject that creates impact and expedites much needed social change,” Psihoyos said about the new film. “I can think of nothing more exciting than illuminating Dr. Dean Ornish’s lifestyle medicine program because it could revolutionize our healthcare system by preventing and even reversing some of our most chronic and deadly diseases, including possibly Alzheimer’s disease.”
Ric and Jean Edelman founded Edelman Financial Services in 1986 (and was merged with Financial Engines in 2018). Now, the firm is the largest independent registered investment advisory firm in the United States, with more than $213 billion in client assets under management, with 1.2 million clients and more than 170 offices throughout the country.