She feels that PBS missed a great opportunity:

There were so many missed opportunities to educate the audience, to show us better ways of doing this, to get us to think about these things ahead of time so we don’t have to be as miserable as the people portrayed.

Though I didn’t get to catch the special (see: other end of sandwich), she hit the nail on the head for me about some of the other portrayals and information about aging parents:

Tragically, this mistreatment of aging in the media is common. Producers are finally awakening to the fact that more of us are growing older, but they’re turning the experience into a soap opera. And they’re characterizing aging as a hysterical, inevitable and thankless struggle.

Though there are things that are very difficult, facing your aging parents doesn’t have to be chock full of emotion every time you see them.

I try to cover a fair about of things here that have to do with aging parents that aren’t maudlin and hysterics. I mean, afterall if I could only talk about the emotion-fueled changes in the parent child relationship when the parent gets older, you would have totally missed how my dad is trying to kill me with his cell phone.

Post from: Blisstree

PBS Special: Caring for Your Aging Parents reviewed

I’m not sure if the special will be airing again, but you can buy the video here.

Post from: Blisstree

New York Times reviews PBS Special “Caring for Your Parents”

Unfortunately, the younger end of my sandwich dictates that I won’t be home, so someone tell me how it was. I hope it will air more than once, I need to check that out.

Post from: Blisstree

PBS Special: Caring for Your Parents airs tonight

Some of the videos are up, be sure to check them out.

I have to admit, though, I didn’t expect a couple of them to be as hard as they were for me to watch. Wasn’t ready for that.

Post from: Blisstree

Caring for Your Parents

Caring For Your Parents, by award-winning filmmaker and FRONTLINE producer Michael Kirk. The program profiles five American families caring for aging parents and the struggles they confront.

To complement the program, The WGBH Lab invites you to submit your own completed 3-minute video story. Selected shorts offer a personal perspective, a provocative question, a surprising visual style, a fresh genre or a unique point of view. Selected works may be licensed for use via broadcast or broadband in conjunction with the April premiere of Caring For Your Parents on PBS in April.

Find out how to submit your videos.

Post from: Blisstree

Deadline for Caring for Your Parents videos extended

The program profiles five American families caring for aging parents and the struggles they confront. WGBH Labs is seeking other 3 minute video stories to complement the program.

Find out more about how to submit your video.

Post from: Blisstree

Call for video stories about caring for elderly parents