|
Tucson's Conversation Arizona Illustrated's Bill Buckmaster leads “A Tucson Conversation About Caring,” an hour-long panel discussion that offers concrete advice and guidance on how to start the conversation — often the most difficult step in caregiving. |
View the full documentary Caring for your Parents at pbs.org
As the population ages, many adults are grappling with an unprecedented social, cultural, economic and personal revolution as they become the primary caregivers for their aging parents. This documentary draws much-needed attention to this widespread reality.
Caring for Your Parents underscores today’s struggle to keep parents at home, tension between siblings, and the complexity of shifting caregiver roles through an intimate look at five American families. In the end, the documentary—produced, written, and directed by award-winning fi lmmaker Michael Kirk—contends successful caregiving requires one primary ingredient—love.
“Aging is the chapter in life that is too often skimmed over. However, it is a critical topic that directly impacts all of us, or will in the very near future,” explains Kirk. “It’s imperative that we turn to our loved ones today, so we are prepared for what happens tomorrow.”
Over the course of the film, Kirk examines the caregiving process through the experiences of families from varying cultural and economic backgrounds. The documentary exposes struggles to keep parents at home, shows the impact of caregiving on marriages, and reveals the financial repercussions of eldercare. Through the stories of these five families, we are also given a glimpse into the emotional and physical effects of caregiving that often go unnoticed. Other heartbreaking stories explore the decision to stop driving, loss of independence, and tension between caregivers and medical professionals.
Judy Clinco, RN, BS
A Nationally recognized leader in the area of workforce
development in the long-term care industry, she started
the Direct CareGiver Association because of the critical
shortage of untrained, qualified Direct Caregivers to
care for people who are aging and disabled. She then founded Catalina In-Home Services where she remains the president.
Mary Ellen Beaurain, LCSW
The Supervisor of the Services Team, Pima Council on
Aging, she has had a twenty year career in working with
elder people and their families and has a Masters of
Social Work degree from Jane Addams School of Social
Work, Univ. of Illinois-Chicago
Anne Morrison, MPA
The Director of Education, Arizona Center on Aging, a
Center of Excellence at the University of Arizona.
She Provides training on a variety of aging topics for
organizations throughout the state, often working in
collaboration with the Area Agencies on Aging, the
Division of Aging and Adult Services and others and has
a Bachelor of Public Administration with dual majors in
Public Policy and Human Services Administration and
Master of Public Administration degree, with
specialization in long term care, University of Arizona.
Jan E. Sturges, M.Ed,LPC
A Caregiver coordinator for the University of Arizona
Life and Work Connections, Eldercare and Life Cycle
Resources with a twenty two year career in health and
aging services, she has a Masters of Education Degree
in Counseling and Guidance from the University of Arizona
