AARP has announced the winners of a pretty unique contest it sponsored with the Ad Counsel where filmmakers were challenged to make a short film about what caregiving today really looks like.
The overall winner, which also took top honors i the contest's "Changing Face of Caregiving" category, was an entry by filmmaker TW Miller. The film features two unrelated women who are caring for an 81-year-old friend of theirs, a man named Bill who suffered a stroke while he was attending the opera. One of the women is a 40-year-friend, the other a neighbor of 17 years.
“These three-minute or shorter films really open up the world of family caregiving helping people to better understand the intense challenges as well as the deep personal rewards of caring for a loved one,” said Amy Goyer, AARP family and caregiving expert and author of the book Juggling Life, Work, and Caregiving, in a press release. “But more importantly, the stories show how much love is present in family caregiving, whether it comes from a family member, friend or even a stranger.”
Miller's film shows friends stepping up and becoming family to someone who needs care. Bill, who lives in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, still enjoys listening to what one woman describes as his collection of "20 million opera albums." Because of the two women helping him with meals, getting around, and bill-paying, he is able to remain in his own home. They stop in and spend time with him every day and speak about how rewarding doing so is for them.
There are 40 million family caregivers in the United States who care for elderly family members or friends. Although estimates are that 70 percent of us will need long-term assistance, less than 10 percent have long-term care insurance, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. This has resulted in families providing the care an elderly relative needs, often at great personal expense to themselves. There is deep concern about what happens to those elderly who do not have a family support network. Stories like this one show how friends are rallying around one another, filling the void and supporting one another -- and enjoying the experience of knowing they are helping. Watch the film below.
To see the other films, visit AARP or the Ad Council here.
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