Chat Rooms, Documentary Films, and Other Support

Our favorite caretaker website is ElderCare's Alzheimer's & Dementia Care Channel. There are many other websites avaiable for everything from caretaker tips and support to the latest treatment research information.

The most valuable caretaker video resource we have ever seen is a film by Deborah Hoffman entitled Complaints of A Dutiful Daughter. Deborah is a documentary film-maker in San Francisco. This video shows the progression of the disease and the importance of warm relationships in which the "truth" is less important than the feeling of love. It's not an easy video for some people just beginning to deal with their caretaking responsibilities. PBS had a good presentation on TV called "The Forgetting" recently, and watch for a wonderful, personal film by Ann Hedreen ("Quick Brown Fox: A Personal Investigation into the Alzheimer’s Epidemic" produced by WhiteNoiseProductions.com) The Hoffman and Hedreen films are distributed by Women Make Movies in New York. The best general film about assisted living goes by that name, Assisted Living. Amazing.

Traditional government-reimbursed programs are very limited for adult day care, assisted living, and other services that the caretakers need. Major improvements have been quite recent (since 1996).

Gottlieb, GL Keynote address presented at the Coalition on Mental Health and Aging Forum on Managed Care, Mental Health and Aging. Washington, DC, May 23, 1996.

Involvement of the family and caregivers in early treatment is necessary not only to improve the daily environment for the person with AD; it is necessary to reduce the hazards faced by the person with AD.

Small, GW, Rabins, PV, Barry, PP, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer disease and related disorders: consensus statement of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, the Alzheimer's Association, and the American Geriatric Society. JAMA, 278: 1363-1371, 1997.

We are just beginning to respond to the overwhelming demands that are placed upon people who independently care for a spouse or parent with AD. Solid progress has been made since 1995.

Philp, I, McKee, KJ, Meldrum, P et al. Community care for demented and non-demented elderly people: a comparison study of financial burden, service use, and unmet needs in family supporters. BMJ, 310: 1503-1506, 1995.