From a technical standpoint, this seven-hour seminar/workshop for caregivers who have spouses or parents with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia is definitely rudimentary: essentially, we watch instructor Judy Dolloff interact with a handful of participants in a nondescript room, while interview clips are intercut featuring healthcare professionals, seminar participants, and other caregivers. But in terms of information, The Savvy Caregiver excels, especially during the first three of the four sessions. According to Dolloff—a laidback, amiable, and very knowledgeable presenter—80% of people with Alzheimer's (or dementia; Dolloff uses the terms interchangeably) are cared for by family members (at least for the early to medium stages), and women comprise 70% of all caregivers. In the first session, Dolloff talks about obtaining a formal diagnosis (although Alzheimer's can only be officially diagnosed during an autopsy) through various evaluation tools such as the 30-question Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), discusses the progressive nature of the illness (which can last from three to 20 years), and points out the different functions of the brain that are affected (memory, language, reasoning, perception, abstraction, etc.—with problems related to abstract concepts such as telling time or higher-level cognitive functions such as word-finding being early indicators of oncoming dementia). Following the basic overview, Dolloff zeroes in on specific caregiver strategies (don't introduce new tasks, do use gestures as visual cues to help communicate, begin monitoring finances right away, take steps to remove a driver's license, etc.). In the second and third sessions, caregivers learn about caring for themselves, successfully navigating the twin hazards of overstimulation and understimulation with their loved ones, and how to evaluate present skill/ability levels (participants watch video of an occupational therapist assigning the same task—make a pot of coffee, pour a cup, and add sugar and cream—to people with different stages of dementia, in order to illustrate the increasing loss of cognitive capacities). Only the final segment disappoints, both for allowing one participant to dominate a large part of the discussion, and because it raises but doesn't really address the multifaceted issue of family dynamics. Each program directs viewers to the company's website for homework readings from an excellent caregiver manual (which can be downloaded for free) and to watch videos from a CD-ROM (available separately for $29.95). A fine down-to-earth guide for what no-punches-pulled Dolloff calls the “worst disease” for caregivers to endure with spouses or relatives, The Savvy Caregiver will be a boon for those facing this heartbreaking journey. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)
The Savvy Caregiver
(2007) 4 discs. 418 min. DVD: $49.95. HealthCare Interactive. PPR. ISBN: 978-0-9800294-0-6. Volume 23, Issue 6
The Savvy Caregiver
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