Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter

Thursday, January 16, 2003 – 7:30pm
USA, 1994. Director: Deborah Hoffmann

With profound insight and surprising levity, Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter chronicles the various stages of a mother’s Alzheimer’s disease and the evolution of a daughter’s response to the illness. As the illness and film progress, the desire to cure the incurable gives way to an acceptance which is finally liberating for both daughter and mother. Neither depressing nor medical, Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter is much more than a story about Alzheimer’s disease and family caregiving. It is ultimately a life-affirming exploration of family relations, aging and change, the meaning of memory, and love. The documentary was the recipient of a well-deserved Academy Award Nomination.
Colour, 16mm, 44 mins.

The program will include:

A post-screening discussion with:
Dr. Martha Lou Donnelly. Dr. Donnelly is Head, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, UBC; and Director, Division of Community Geriatrics, Department of Family Practice, UBC. Dr. Donnelly will lead a discussion about how families can recognize and deal with symptoms of dementia, how families can and should get help, and the importance of family members and friends taking care of themselves through the process of thier loved one’s illness. Dr. Donnelly will be introduced by Barbara Lindsay, Manager, Advocacy & Public Policy, Alzheimer Society of B.C.

Evening moderated by:
Dr. Harry Karlinsky Director of Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia.

This evening is co-sponsored by the Alzheimer Society of B.C.