Not a book, but a movie about dementia

Director hopes "Savages" delivers comfort
By Moira Macdonald

Seattle Times movie critic

A movie about a pair of adult siblings coping with their elderly father's dementia may not sound like typical holiday fare. But Tamara Jenkins' "The Savages," which has been gathering momentum since its Sundance premiere at the start of the year (it opens in Seattle Tuesday), is a feel-good movie, in its own way. It's been receiving warm praise during its gradual national release, and recently received four Independent Spirit Award nominations and one Golden Globe nomination (for actor Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Writer/director Jenkins, in town last month to present her film, hopes that it will both entertain and comfort those facing similar situations in their own lives. She recalled the many Q&A sessions she's had after screenings of her film. "Somebody always raises their hand — a person around my age [Jenkins is 45] or a little older — and says, 'My mother has Alzheimer's and when the movie started, I got really scared that I wouldn't be able to handle it, and then it was so honest and funny that I am really grateful because I feel less isolated in my own experience.' So that's nice."

"Not to sound pretentious, but that's why art exists," Jenkins continued. "We're kind of out there alone, and then you grab a book and you're reading and something is observed that isn't necessarily discussed, and you feel less alone. Particularly a subject like this — taboo's too extreme a word, but it's something that happens outside the margins of life. Somebody disappears for a while because something's going on with their parent, and then you find out when they come back. It's like a parenthetical."

In the film, siblings Jon (Hoffman) and Wendy Savage (Laura Linney) are busy leading complicated New York literary lives (he's a professor, she's a struggling playwright) when they learn that their ailing father Lenny (Philip Bosco) can no longer take care of himself. The relationship between the trio has long been prickly, but the siblings rally to collect their father from his Southwest home, bring him back East and settle him in a nursing home. Though there's much dark humor in the film — and though Jon and Wendy do come to a better understanding of each other — the father's troubled relationship with his children is never really mended.

"That's a Hollywood movie moment that doesn't happen in real life," said Jenkins. "This redemptive moment, this dad turning around in his hospital bed and saying, 'I'm sorry I wasn't a great father but I always loved you.' It happens in movies all the time. It's missing from my movie because it's false. He has dementia, he doesn't even know who he is. I find it very alienating when I am force-fed this kind of dishonest saccharine when I know that it's not true. It makes me feel isolated as a human being."

Jenkins, whose previous film was the 1998 comedy "Slums of Beverly Hills," said that while "The Savages" isn't a memoir, there are elements of her own life in the screenplay. Both her father and grandmother, she said, suffered from dementia and spent their last years in nursing homes.

The scene in the movie in which Wendy flies to the East Coast with her confused, frail father is, Jenkins said, from her own life, and was in fact a seed for the film. "I had to fly him across the U.S. when he was old and unwell and I didn't really know — the gravity of the task did not occur to me," she said. "Not that I was cavalier, but I was like, 'Yeah, sure, I can do this.' " Jenkins told that story several years ago in the New York performance forum The Moth, as part of an anthologized evening of oral storytelling under the theme of "family." Though she was already at work on the screenplay at the time, she was still seeking a focus. Producer Ted Hope came to the Moth performance and told Jenkins he could see a movie there — something dark and serious, but with humor braided into it
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another author

Hi all
My name is Susan Berg. I have been a health care professional and
educator for over 20 years. I am the, activity director, of many
years, at Hunt Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Danvers,
Massachusetts. While there, I have gained much dementia care and
activity experience and knowledge. I have had special training in
dementia care and dementia activities through the Alzheimer's
Association and other educational forums. I too am an author The
title of the book is Adorable Photographs of Our Baby-Meaningful,
Mind-Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their
Loved Ones, and Involved Professionals, a book for those with
dementia and an excellent resource for caregivers and health care
professionals.

I am also looking for an adult day care center in the Pittsburgh area.

I look forward to hearing from some of you soon.

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Alzheimer’s Disease- Facts You Should Be Aware Of

November 18th, 2007
click here for more info
by Robert William Locke
Usually around the age of 60, symptoms of Alzheimer’s will start to manifest themselves if indeed the disease is present. Sometimes, these symptoms are dismissed as part of the ageing process but unfortunately in many cases, it is not just a question of getting old.

The first alarming signal is when the person affected has marked difficulty in doing simple tasks which previously they performed with ease. These can range from opening a car door to getting a meal ready or using a simple household appliance. As the disease progresses into the later stages, the person will display behavioural symptoms. Loss of memory and a failure to grasp new things together with anxiety and deHow is the disease diagnosed ? Currently the diagnosis is based on excluding other possibilities and is clinically assumed. However, before the Alzheimers diagnosis can be given to the patient and their family, the patient must undergo a variety of laboratory tests, such as medical assessments and laboratory measurements. Alzheimer’s disease testing can take anywhere from one day to several weeks to ensure accuracy and proper diagnosis.

The brain contains a vital chemical compound called acetylcholine which preserves the neurons in the brain. When the disease starts to take hold, another enzyme starts to attack - this is called acetylcholinesterase and will destroy the healthier enzymes. The drugs are aimed to stave off this attack and preserve the healthy enzymes. But these drugs have some side effects and the results vary a lot but in many cases, they do slow down the disease.

Various other drugs have been tried, all with very mixed results and side effects. Estrogen is a hormonal substance but its main disadvantage is that it may cause strokes. Aspirin and ibuprofen (the well known anti inflammatory drugs) have had some success and have been found to offer some protection. A popular plant extract called Gingko Biloba is used but its main problem is that it can cause strokes.

The disease can last from 5-10 years or even longer. The disease will progress from simple forgetfulness to debilitating severe dementia. Most sufferers (about 70% in the USA) will live with family members at home. There is no cure for the disease at the moment and care consists of medication mentioned above and care giving.

While the disease progresses, the patient and family members will be traumatised and emotionally drained especially as in the very late stages, the patient just cannot communicate with his or her loved ones. This is very often hard to bear and adds to the trauma for the carers.

Can we prevent this debilitating disease and what can we do about it ? Diet has been shown to be decisive and recent research just published shows that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, with whole grains, fish, garlic, olive oil and a little red meat will reduce your chances of contracting this disease - even by up to 60%. The Mediterranean Diet has been studied extensively for this very reason and now research has given it an accolade that very few other diets can even aspire to win.

About the Author:
Find out how diet can save you from Alzheimer’s Get your own completely unique content version of this article.

A Great Book for those with dementia and their caregiver network

Adorable Photographs of Our Baby-Meaningful Mind Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones and Involved Professionals

By Susan Berg

This is a book for those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
It is also for anyone in their caregiver network
Their caregiver network includes: loved ones, family members, home health aids, CNAs, other nursing home staff(activity professionals, social workers, nurses), healthcare professionals, support group members and leaders

Suggest other helpful books or visit again to learn more about this book and others

Visit http://www.alzheimersideas.com