If you’re not a caregiver now, odds are good you will be soon. New research from AARP shows more than one in five adults—a total of 53 million Americans—are now unpaid family caregivers.
End in Mind is thrilled to join Pioneer PBS and the Southwest Initiative Foundation, along with several other partner organizations, to bring awareness to the crucial role caregivers play in an online screening and discussion Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m.
Event participants will watch the 25-minute film, “Caregiver: A Love Story,” which highlights an essential, yet largely unseen workforce—the family caregiver. The screening will be followed by a discussion between our founder, Cathy Wurzer (also an MPR News and PBS host), and physician and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Dr. Jessica Zitter of Do No Harm Media. The event will be free and open to the public through an online platform. Pre-registration is required and you can sign up here.
The film centers around Bambi, who is four years into her battle with cancer when she decides to forego additional painful medical treatments and live her final weeks at home with the support of hospice. Although reluctant to let go of the love of his life, whom he had met only three years earlier, Bambi’s significant other Rick supports her decision. Bambi and Rick’s journey begins on a high note. Death may be fast-approaching, but there is an air of celebration, even optimism. But the atmosphere changes quickly when family members must return to their homes abroad and Rick is left to manage Bambi’s growing needs on his own. Without a full night’s sleep in months, the around-the-clock responsibilities eventually send Rick into a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. “Caregiver: A Love Story” challenges viewers to acknowledge the difficulties facing family caregivers and to envision a new approach. (Watch trailer below.)
“Our goal is to focus public awareness on the ‘invisible patient’—those who are caring for loved ones with memory loss and chronic or terminal illness—and to inspire our region to do all we can to support them,” said Shari Lamke, Pioneer PBS president and general manager (and former End in Mind program manager). “The most important thing we can do is to help our caregivers know that they are not alone, that there are resources to help them and that they are valued.”
The Oct. 13 event will be held in front of a limited live audience at the Pioneer PBS studios. Most participants will join the event online and have the opportunity to send questions to Wurzer and Zitter via chat.
Co-sponsoring organizations include the Granite Falls Living at Home Block Nurse Program, the Remember Project, the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging, and Prairie Five Community Action Council. Staff and volunteers from these organizations will be part of the audience, as will some of those providing care to family members.
