What I Watched -- The Sum Total of Our Memory

It's SLIFF time again!  I took a break in the middle of the work day to go see my first film, a documentary called The Sum Total of Our Memory: Facing Alzheimer's Together.  The film profiles three couples, where one of the partners in each couple has received an Alzheimer's diagnosis.  Alzheimer's is just one of a handful of different types of dementia, but often the presentation of the different types of dementia is similar: first memory starts to go, then visual-spatial abilities fade (this is usually when people stop driving, or should stop driving), then analytic abilities weaken.

There were a few things about this film that struck me.  The first was that all three of the couples profiled appeared to be fairly affluent.  I talked to E a little bit about why this probably was.  The biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's is aging.  Affluence positively correlates with longer life span, for a number of reasons, including better nutrition and better health care.  That obviously doesn't mean less affluent people never get Alzheimer's, but it is probably less common, and has less of a chance to develop through all stages of the disease. 

The second was the grace of the caregiver in each couple.  There is a short segment specifically about caregivers towards the end of the film, but throughout it's amazing to see the patience with which the caregivers handle their day-to-day tasks, and how gracefully they've accepted their new role.  (One thing that the movie just mentions in passing is the population of elderly people with Alzheimer's who do not have a family member who is a primary caregiver.)

Though this movie didn't shed any new light on dealing with someone suffering from Alzheimer's, it is always good to be reminded of the importance of an emotional connection and practicing patience (not my strong suit).  Another big topic was the importance to an Alzheimer's sufferer of being useful.  One man, who had always been an animal lover, took a volunteer position with the San Francisco SPCA.  His duties weren't complicated -- just laundry.  But the job gave him somewhere to go every day, and it was still within his abilities.

The title of the film comes from a quote of one of the caregivers.  He wonders to what extent the loss of a person's memory equates to the loss of the person.  His wife, who can no longer remember her own history, has become the designated photographer for the friends in their boat club.  How ironic that she is now responsible for everyone else's memory, when she has virtually none of her own.

Bottom line: as with most SLIFF documentaries, not a happy film.  But always a good reminder.