Alzheimer’s disease, a devastating reality in the...

Alzheimer’s disease, a devastating reality in the lives of countless families, is at the core of “There Were Times, Dear,” an hourlong drama airing this week on public television.

Shirley Jones portrays a wife who must take on the family responsibilities and make some difficult decisions when her husband (Len Cariou) is diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s.

Rejected by commercial networks, executive producer Linda Hope and director Nancy Malone made the film anyway as a fund-raising tool for local Alzheimer’s disease help organizations. Now, it will have a larger audience through the PBS screening.

“There Were Times” airs Wednesday at 10 p.m. on Channel 50.

Channel 28 will show it Thursday at 10 p.m., with a repeat next Sunday at 1 p.m. That latter showing will be followed by a discussion program titled “I Hope It’s Not Alzheimer’s.”