PBS and WETA Caregiving Documentary by Executive Producer Bradley Cooper Now Available to Stream
PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., the lead, founding sponsor of a new PBS and WETA documentary created with executive producer and award-winning actor Bradley Cooper, announces that Caregiving is now available to stream on PBS and PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel. The two-hour documentary portrays paid and unpaid caregivers navigating the challenges and joys of this deeply meaningful work, intertwining intimate personal stories with the untold history of caregiving in the U.S. Otsuka supports this documentary as part of its corporate commitment to raise awareness about the growing urgency to support caregivers, who are frequently the backbone of care in communities across the nation.
A new study by researchers from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health sponsored by Otsuka showed that nearly half of the states in America are categorized as 'critical' or at 'high risk' of a caregiving crisis that needs to be addressed urgently. The shrinking healthcare workforce and a rising prevalence of dementia is putting more pressure on the 44.58 million family caregivers in America today. Recent research found family caregivers are performing an estimated value of $873.5 billion worth of labor each year — most of which goes unpaid. If the number of caregivers for loved ones with dementia increases by just 10%, the national value of caregiving will grow to $935.8 billion (an additional $62.3 billion), reinforcing the need for a consistent and reliable standard of support has never been more urgent.
'This powerful documentary shines a light on the reality facing millions of Americans today. As a nation, we are at an inflection point where the pressure on caregivers is becoming insurmountable,' said Tarek Rabah, president and CEO, Otsuka North America Pharmaceutical Business. 'I encourage everyone to watch Caregiving and advocate for expanded benefits, increased funding, and comprehensive support services for family caregivers in their own lives and beyond. This documentary aligns closely with Otsuka's corporate commitment to support family caregivers and ensures they receive the recognition and resources they deserve.'
'The lack of resources available to caregivers like me is making caregiving in America extremely challenging. After ten years caring for my mother, I see how important it is that caregiving is viewed as a critical part of our country's well-being,' said Jessica Guthrie, a caregiver featured in the Caregiving documentary, who moved home to become her mother's caregiver at the age of 26 when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. 'Caregiving should be about finding joy and creating new memories with our loved ones, but right now, new family caregivers lack even basic resources, such as education, emotional support and affordable care support like trained aides and transportation. I hope by sharing our stories, we can inspire more investment in caregiving to ease the burden on family caregivers across the country.'
Since launching its corporate caregiver commitment in 2023, Otsuka has remained steadfast in supporting family caregivers of loved ones living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. The company designed family resources including an educational video and interactive storybook to help 'sandwich generation' caregivers explain Alzheimer's disease to their children and created the ' Still Here ' docuseries to give family caregivers a platform to share their care stories. Otsuka also launched an interactive salary calculator in collaboration with Salary.com to illustrate the projected income of unpaid caregivers if they were compensated and hosted policy events in Washington, D.C., to call for action.
The two-hour documentary will premiere Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET on PBS and the PBS YouTube Channel. It is available to stream as of today, May 27, on PBS.org and the PBS App. To learn more about Otsuka's caregiver commitment visit otsuka-us.com/caregiver.
About Otsuka Pharmaceutical
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a global healthcare company with the corporate philosophy: Otsuka–people creating new products for better health worldwide. Otsuka researches, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative products, with a focus on pharmaceutical products to meet unmet medical needs and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health.
In pharmaceuticals, Otsuka is a leader in the challenging areas of mental, renal, and cardiovascular health and has additional research programs in oncology and on several under-addressed diseases including tuberculosis, a significant global public health issue. These commitments illustrate how Otsuka is a 'big venture' company at heart, applying a youthful spirit of creativity in everything it does.
Otsuka established a presence in the U.S. in 1973 and today its U.S. affiliates include Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC) and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI). These two companies' 2,250 employees in the U.S. develop and commercialize medicines in the areas of mental health and nephrology, using cutting-edge technology to address unmet healthcare needs.
OPDC and OAPI are indirect subsidiaries of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The Otsuka group of companies employed 35,340 people worldwide and had consolidated sales of approximately USD 14.7 billion in 2024.
All Otsuka stories start by taking the road less traveled. Learn more about Otsuka in the U.S. at www.otsuka-us.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter at @OtsukaUS. Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.'s global website is accessible at https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/.
ABOUT WETA
WETA is the leading public broadcaster in the nation's capital, serving Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia with educational initiatives and with high-quality programming on television, radio, and digital. WETA Washington, D.C., is the second-largest producing station for public television, with news and public affairs programs including PBS NewsHour, PBS News Weekend, and Washington Week with The Atlantic; films by Ken Burns and Florentine Films, such as The American Buffalo and the forthcoming Leonardo da Vinci; series and documentaries by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., including Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and GOSPEL; performance specials including National Memorial Day Concert and A Capitol Fourth; and health content from Well Beings, a multiplatform campaign. More information on WETA and its programs and services are available at weta.org. Visit facebook.com/wetatvfm on Facebook.
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