Arts & Dementia: Dementia in the media

Arts & Dementia: Dementia in the media

Lisa Loiselle speaks with filmmaker Chris Wynn who filmed his father’s struggles with Alzheimer’s in a documentary  “Forgetful Not Forgotten” and a 2nd feature documentary about young caregivers called “Much Too Young”.

Chris and Lisa speak candidly about how dementia is portrayed in TV and film, how it affects perceptions of Alzheimer's disease amongst the general population, and nurtures stigma. Chris also speaks about his own experience with his father’s illness and how it changed his life and inspired him to create his own documentary films.

Resources:

Forgetful not forgotten : http://livingwithalz.org/user_submitted_film/forgetful-not-forgotten/

Much too young : https://www.tvo.org/video/documentaries/much-too-young

Article: A slew of new movies including "Falling," "Supernova" and "The Father" try to put audiences in the shoes of someone suffering from dementia.: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2021/02/05/viggo-mortensen-falling-supernova-the-father-depict-dementia-realistically/4384359001/

   The Toronto Recollectiv provided the music in this episode. Recollectiv helps people with memory impairments gain a new social network, rediscover a sense of accomplishment and find joy through music-making. Resources are available to help form groups in other communities. Information is found https://www.recollectiv.ca/

A short video of how Recollectiv contributes to a member's quality of life "Leonard's Story" can be found at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFDK2Kfr9HA