On Memory and Oblivion

Way to go Marty. I cannot wait to see it !!

2010-12-03T02:50:10.287Z

Way to go Marty. I cannot wait to see it !!

I have been reading and looking for SPECAL CONVERS...

2010-06-29T18:06:21.298+01:00

I have been reading and looking for SPECAL CONVERSION and is amazing and disturbing how many blogs related to viagra online are in the web. But anyways, thanks for sharing your inputs, they are really interesting.
Have a nice day

2010-06-17T23:56:27.474+01:00

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Martin, im in the gallery posting. its a great ins...

2010-03-26T14:45:53.941Z

Martin, im in the gallery posting. its a great instillation, very touching and provocative. i'm interested to know how the difference between age related disease and ageing is being blurred, and your films really illustrate that. fascinated by the brain bank! only note that the sound bleed is quite noticeable and better headphones would help. Nick Ware

I look forward to seeing them! Thanks! Senior Memory Source

amazing story, and like you say there are many fam...

2010-02-10T12:50:52.877Z

amazing story, and like you say there are many families coping daily with a similar situation. respite care is so important in these situations. will you be covering that in the film? Nick

Brilliant family! There's another book in the...

2010-02-04T09:20:14.684Z

Brilliant family! There's another book in there! Seriously, people are going to have to look at this kind of situation nore and more, with Alzheimer's increasing at such a rate. I have just commented on 'Keeper', so thought I would alert you to that in case you don't look back. Anne

Martin, I have been following your blog intermitte...

2010-02-04T09:12:31.137Z

Martin, I have been following your blog intermittently for a couple of months. I am interested in bringing Specal to Norfolk, and in touch with Penny Garner. I haven't read Keeper, but your description echoes my experiences coping with my mother's Alzheimers. The word support is bandied about endlessly by social services, but they only seem to mean bringing in extra people so the carer can get away, or trying to fit the vulnerable person into an established system of day care which was manned by volunteers and expected a clean, continent, pleasant subject. What I needed was a way of dealing with my mother during all the other times, continuity when she was away from me, and most of all the ability to make her content and happy. I discovered Specal too late for my mother, but yearn to help others like me who have no wish to get rid of their Alzheimers sufferer but know they are failing. Unfortunately the Alzheimer's Society is actively blocking Specal. (See their web-site for statement, I expect you already have). Keep up the good work. Anne

Hi, I am The editor/writer with physician.co...

2010-02-03T19:17:24.758Z

Hi,
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A great post. I have been trying to get SPECAL of...

2009-12-10T12:30:57.062Z

A great post. I have been trying to get SPECAL off the ground in my corner of the country for 8 months, since I attended a professionals day at Burford. I am a GP and an ex dementia carer, and altho Contented Dementia came out too late to help with care of my mother, I instantly saw its importance. Penny Garner takes a pragmatic approach that rings bells with carers, whose priority is often to maintain relationship with their cared-for in the face of daily loss of meeting points. All the help we had was based on what administrators had made available, not on what would make life livable. Most family carers want to keep their dementia sufferers at home, and happy, but the emphasis on respite draws attention away from this fact.

Katie Gormley pointed me to the animation Harvie K...

2009-12-01T11:17:46.451Z

Katie Gormley pointed me to the animation Harvie Krumpet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouyVS6HOFeo in which an Alzheimer's home has a mock bus stop in the garden to keep the patients busy. see 16"20'

Martin, I must listen to the radio show. But your ...

2009-11-12T17:01:34.105Z

Martin, I must listen to the radio show. But your quotes from Sacks present a more optimistic prognosis for some people, and your sister's current condition bears that out. I was struck today by the contrast with the news about the unneccesary use of anti-pschotic drugs, leading to the deaths of many dementia patients. We need to invest in people and resources to understand this condition much much more and present a more holistic approach to treatment. The work of Oliver Sacks is just the beginning of what feels like a very long journey. I'm sure your film will add to the debate in unexpected and enlightening ways.

Hello Martin, Am I meant to comment? or dO I writ...

2009-10-19T15:26:17.714+01:00

Hello Martin,

Am I meant to comment? or dO I write elsewhere. You must teach me.

I loved to read about the day with Jaqueline. What I find most compelling is your observation that 'she is like a mirror, highly sensitive to my mood and behaviour.' I wonder how you might share this visually. It could be wonderful, possibly a little disturbing, but no doubt very true. And is that not something we all do with eachother? yes yes... this is exciting please show me more...xLeonie

BritDocs have some great initiaitves for films tha...

2009-10-09T11:51:04.531+01:00

BritDocs have some great initiaitves for films that cross these boundaries into public service. htpp://britdoc.org/real_good/pitch/ and it will be interestin to see how these concepts works at a micro level.

really interested to see how alternative ways of distribution allow the film maker to respond to the stories of audience and subjects through research and blogs. I do think thats an essential part as it ensures that you are connected to your audience directly instead of through a commissioner.

might allow you to tell the public agencies (research institutes?) and commissioners the stories they dont get to hear / dont know they want to hear or dont know audiences want to share?

they might then come in with distribution and completion funds. other film makers playing with these ideas tend to have a merchandising or ask viewers for donations to their projects and as far as i can see are tapping into quite established online activist communities.

might be good for you / us to speak to brit docs soon to benefit from their learning on this?

Its interesting to chart the effect on us of witne...

2009-10-05T15:01:46.127+01:00

Its interesting to chart the effect on us of witnessing memory loss / identity loss. I watched my nana deal with early dementia at 60yrs of age. she'd always seen life from a different angle to everyone else we knew (convinved we were descended from aliens and kept tights in the cutlery draw / down sofa - just so they were handy) and as a consequence we didnt realise she had dementia until it was quite advanced ( we found mince down the sofa and in the cutlery draw). when we did realise it didnt really stress us out too much - we just got into her new world with her. her husband, who was 10 years younger was her main carer and died one year after her death (he was 55)

I cared for her sister when she had dementia (at 80)- watched her turn from a bitter, controlling woman with a pristine house and garden, a woman who never got over the loss of her husband and child or the shame of "causing a divorce" in the 40's - into a loving woman who stroked weeds and sang in the street. A woman who forgot that she smoked and forgot that she didnt like people. unfortunately her liberation from fear eventually ran in parallel to my growing sense of fear - how to protect her from harm and ease her journey from independence, how to make sure that the care system didnt rob her of her dignity.

I am interested in the memory less state as a one ...

2009-10-05T14:31:07.782+01:00

I am interested in the memory less state as a one of potential calm and living genuinely moment to moment that you describe. Is the peace you find partly to do with the value you place on knowing and being in control of stuff? or based on your ability to trust the universe? or on how the world treats you? or perhaps genes?

be interesting to see how you can show the world from this different perspective - sounds like it could be a wonderful mesmourising and emotive piece.

can't wait..

2009-10-03T16:29:30.087+01:00

can't wait..