ABC/Jeff Neira(NEW YORK) — In hopes of helping others, actress Jane Krakowski is opening up about her personal experience as a caregiver to a dementia patient: her father.
Krakowski, star of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and 30 Rock, shared her experiences at an AARP-sponsored event Monday in New York, where AARP announced a $60 million investment into the Dementia Discovery Fund as part of a new Disrupt Dementia campaign. Krakowski tells ABC Radio she’s “very encouraged” by it, since her family often felt helpless in dealing with the disease.
“The doctors seemed frustrated that they didn’t have more to offer us and we tried everything that they suggested and that we could,” she explains. “But there’s just not enough research and answers.”
“Knowing that 60 million people are diagnosed at the moment with dementia, and six million a year are projected to be newly diagnosed with it, is astounding to me,” she adds. “And so I feel like we just need to get more answers.”
Krakowski is also completing work this week on the final six episodes of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, returning to Netflix in January.
“I’m so happy with how they’ve wrapped it up,” she says of the Emmy-nominated show. “I think it’s a lovely ending for each of these wacky characters that we’ve gotten to know and care for….I can’t wait for people to see them.”
Krakowski, herself an award-winning Broadway actress, also expressed her admiration for her pal and Kimmy Schmidt creator Tina Fey for the success she’s had with her first Broadway musical, Mean Girls.
“I am so proud of her! I love the show and it’s a big deal…to write an original Broadway musical,” says Krakowski, adding with a laugh, “So hopefully, it’ll run for a long time on Broadway as well as come to a touring theater near you!”
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