The Genius Of Caring: Documentary Analysis

Here One Day, Gone the Next Imagine that one day - any random day of the week- everything is fine. You seem to have some difficulty in remembering simple things. Where are the car keys? What were you supposed to do that day? The next day, you and your family receive the terrifying news. You have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Slowly, over the course of the next few years, you will begin to forget everything about yourself. It is a terrifying thought, yet it is happening to nearly five million and four thousand people in America today (White, “The Genius of Caring: an interactive documentary”). Now, think about what it would be like to be the caregiver of those people. They are husbands and wives, sons and daughters, or close friends and
Many are ashamed of the fact they, or a family member, have Alzheimer’s and do not talk about it (White, “The Genius of Marian: Post-Production”). However, two projects exist that are designed to share about the experience of having Alzheimer’s and caring for someone with the disease. “The Genius of Marian: Post-Production” is a documentary, created by Banker White, which shares the story of his mother, Pam White, who has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, and her mother, Marian, who died of the disease in 2001 (White, “The Genius of Marian: Post-Production”). The second is “The Genius of Caring: an interactive documentary”, which was also created by Banker White (White, “The Genius of Caring: an interactive documentary”). Unlike “The Genius of Marian”, “The Genius of Caring” is a web-based community where those who are in some way affected by Alzheimer’s can share their experiences through submitting photos and stories (White, “The Genius of Caring: an interactive documentary”). In considering the two, the “Genius of Caring: an interactive documentary” is the best project to support due to its informative nature and ability to provide support for the
In creating “The Genius of Caring” White recognises that the experiences people have with Alzheimer’s vary greatly and are not all the same. therefore, he created a place where people can share their own stories and give readers a better understanding of how Alzheimer’s affects people as a whole (Straith). This also allows caretaker’s to show support for each other, helping to remove the isolating feeling that Alzheimer’s often causes. By allowing others to add and share their own story publicly, more people, who are not directly affected will become more informed as to what Alzheimer’s