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WSA Members Speak out: Who is a Spousal Caregiver |
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Following is the finished production of the Well Spouse® Association story filmed at the Atlanta Conference in 2011. WSA Members and supporters should feel free to share this video with anyone that might be interested, social agencies, VA, medical professionals, doctors offices and others!
The Well Spouse® Association is a peer-to-peer support group for spouses and partners of chronically ill / injured individuals. We are not disease specific - our focus is on caring for the Well Spouse suffering the unique loss of their best friend, partner and lover. We offer on-line forums for discussion, local support group meetings, telephone support meetings, mentoring, newsletters, respite weekends and an annual conference. Join our family at www.wellspouse.org (free on-line for one year!). You are not alone!
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Well Spouse™ Association Princeton NJ 2010 Conference Videos
Watch all video excerpts of the keynote speech by Dr. Teena Cahill at the Oct. 20-22 WSA Conference... this year's conference will be Oct. 21-23, in Atlanta, GA
1. 2010 National Conference, Well Spouse™ Association Conference, Princeton, NJ
Introduction by President Larry Bocchiere of Keynote Speaker Teena Cahill, Psy.D.
- Why Are We Here?
2. 2010 National Conference, Well Spouse™ Association Conference, Princeton, NJ Keynote Speaker Teena Cahill, Psy.D. -
On the Mind-Body Connection
3. 2010 National Conference, Well Spouse™ Association Conference, Princeton, NJ Keynote Speaker Teena Cahill, Psy.D. -
Research on What Makes You Happy
4. 2010 National Conference, Well Spouse™ Association Conference, Princeton, NJ Keynote Speaker Teena Cahill, Psy.D. -
A Way to Go Forward
5. 2010 National Conference, Well Spouse™ Association Conference, Princeton, NJ Keynote Speaker Teena Cahill, Psy.D. -
When the Situation Seems Really Bad
6. 2010 National Conference, Well Spouse™ Association Conference, Princeton, NJ Keynote Speaker Teena Cahill, Psy.D. -
Spousal Caregiver Humor
7. 2010 National Conference, Well Spouse™ Association Conference, Princeton, NJ Keynote Speaker Teena Cahill, Psy.D. -
Help and Humor |
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In this video interview Barry Petersen describes his wife's diagnosis with early-onset Alzheimer's and his caregiving challenges. from: AARP.org - the American Association of Retired Persons. Inside E Street | August 5, 2010
Alzheimer's hurts not only those who suffer from its symptoms, but also the people who care for them. Barry Petersen, a CBS News correspondent, entered a dark chapter of his life when his wife, Jan, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. That led to his book, Jan's Story, which chronicles Jan's struggle with the disease and Barry's challenges as a caregiver. Mini-review by Richard Anderson: Barry Petersen lays it all out there: the dilemma of the long-term spousal caregiver. I support his determination to care for himself at the same time as he keeps on caring for his wife. Caregivers, especially spousal caregivers can't be supermen or women -- when one is sick, two need help! |
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Watch all video excerpts of the keynote speech at the 2010 WSA conference in Princeton NJ ...
Reviewed by Terri Corcoran for the Well Spouse Association
In a mere 10 minutes, the devastating impact of Alzheimer's disease on three generations is poignantly captured by writer/producer/director Brendon Aulsebrook McQueen in his film Skip Rocks. A senior in Columbia University's Film Studies Program, Brendon received a 2009 Reach Film Fellowship for production of this short film, which he hopes will be a "tangible tool in the fight against Alzheimer's disease." He dedicates the film to his grandmother Lois McQueen, who bravely dealt with her husband Elmer's Alzheimer's, which eventually took his life.
Skip Rocks is a vignette featuring a grandmother with early-stage Alzheimer's, who is visited in her nursing home by her daughter and granddaughter. Not a moment of this film is wasted, as the camera artfully blends the brief plot, clear characterizations, and emotions from grief and despair to humor and hope, all set against beautiful nature shots infused with quiet music.
In the mere 10 minutes of the film, two relationships are portrayed - that of grandmother/granddaughter, and that of ill mother/caregiver daughter. While the daughter's careworn face and actions show the stress and sadness of the caregiver as she strives to maintain her mother's comfort, the granddaughter asks her grandmother about her younger days and relates to her in a more natural way - she wants to know her "grammy" better. Then she and Grammy escape the nursing home for a brief adventure, as Grammy wants to give some happier memories to her granddaughter than memories of the illness that will eventually consume her.
Skip Rocks held me spellbound and brought up tears.
Brendon McQueen hopes the film will lead to greater awareness and a cure for Alzheimer's, as it also illustrates the "hope that can arise from despair."
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