My Mother, My Father Series
My Mother, My Father
By James Vanden Bosch

When a parent grows old it often falls to their adult children to provide care for them. This celebrated documentary takes a candid look at families and their deep and often conflicting feelings as they deal with the stresses involved in caring for an aging parent.

In My Mother, My Father we meet four families. One family has chosen to have the husband's father, who has Alzheimer's disease, live with them, while others have chosen either nursing home care or some level of in-home support for their parent. The relationships between the generations in these families range from warm and supportive to deeply troubled. The film offers no easy answers, but honest and compelling insight into the need for families to make individual decisions, based on their own goals and values. Study Guide included.

Together with its companion film, My Mother, My Father...Seven Years Later, this program also gives viewers a unique perspective on the changes which caregiving relationships undergo over time.

33 minutes
© 1984
Purchase $185 DVD
Order No. QA-175

Awards & Conference Screenings
First Prize, Media Owl Awards
First Prize, American Journal of Nursing

Related Films
Not My Home: A compelling look at life inside a nursing home, as residents, families, and staff discuss both the problems and the rewards they experience.

Something Should be Done About Grandma Ruthie: A moving and unsettling portrait of the filmmaker's family as they struggle to deal with her grandmother's deteriorating mental condition due to Alzheimer's.

I'm Pretty Old: An engaging look at several elderly men and woman as they adapt to the realities of living in a nursing home.

He's Doing This to Spite Me: In this frank video, three caregivers openly share their experiences of conflict and frustration in interactions with their loved one who has dementia. These scenes are integrated with comments and guidance from professionals in dementia care.

My Mother, My Father... Seven Years Later: Revisits the families first seen in My Mother, My Father, to explore changes in family dynamics and the caregivers' thoughts about their own aging.

The Way Home: This moving documentary introduces a variety of elders who are trying to find the best possible living situation for themselves or for their loved ones during their "golden years."

Growing Up and Growing Old: Who will care for the estimated 14 million people who will soon need long-term care? How will we pay for it? Meet several caregivers who are struggling daily with the problems of caring for elderly parents or clients.

To rent or purchase this film, please visit the Icarus Films website

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