前言
今年一部名为《困在时间里的父亲》（《The Father》）的电影成功“出圈”了，其中有影帝安东尼·霍普金斯和影后奥利维亚·科尔曼共同坐镇。但这部获奥斯卡六项提名、被网友们盛赞为“教科书级别“的电影，绝不仅仅只是因为强大的演员阵容，更是因为其传递的能量和背后引发的思考。
这部电影讲述了阿尔兹海默症老人安东尼在生活中挣扎的故事，与之前类似主题作品不同的是，它从阿尔兹海默症患者的视角，以循环往复、碎片凌乱的镜头，带领观众设身处地地感知他们在患病时那种对周遭的困惑、质疑以及源于自身的委屈、无助。
这部电影让更多的人开始关注痴呆症人群，但其实一些公益组织早已经在为改善他们的生活而做出努力了，其中一个就是My Life Films。
My Life Films
——Transforming the lives of people affected by dementia
- Save the Date:
- Monday 7th of June 8pm
- Speaker:
- Poppy Sharples – Film Delivery Project Manager
About My Life Films
Founded in 2014, My Life Films is a UK-registered not-for-profit charity dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by dementia. We are a group of passionate filmmakers who believe that every person has a wonderful life story to tell. Our vision is a world where people living with dementia are not defined by their illness.
Our Values
Life-affirming
Each and every life is special and those living with dementia have a right to live with dignity. Our work takes us beyond the illness; we help people be seen as wonderful individuals, each with a rich life of experiences and memories to be treasured.
Creative Passion
We are dedicated in heart and mind to achieving our very best at all times, and take a creative, people-led approach in everything we do. Practically anything is possible if we turn our minds to it.
Being Human
Our work is profoundly personal and calls for us to have the courage to connect deeply. Compassion, generosity of spirit and respect are at the forefront of everything we do.
Pioneering Spirit
We break new ground and explore new ideas with energy and purpose. By working in close partnership with others, we produce practical actions which have impact and meaning.
About Dementia
Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of progressive conditions that affect the brain.
The brain is made up of nerve cells (neurones) that communicate with each other by sending messages. Dementia damages the nerve cells in the brain so messages can’t be sent effectively, which prevents the brain from functioning normally.
There are over 200 subtypes and causes of dementia, but the four most common are: Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. It is possible to have not just one but two types of dementia. The most common is a combination of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, known as mixed dementia.
Dementia can affect a person at any age but it is more commonly diagnosed in people over the age of 65 years. A person developing dementia before age 65 is said to have young onset dementia.
There are over 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this is set to rise to over one million by 2025.
Symptoms of dementia
Regardless of which type of dementia is diagnosed and what part of the brain is affected, each person will experience dementia in their own unique way.
The symptoms of dementia can include:
Memory problems
People with dementia might have problems retaining new information. They might get lost in previously familiar places and may struggle with names. Relatives might notice the person seems increasingly forgetful, misplacing things regularly.
Cognitive ability--processing information
People with dementia may have a problem with their concentration level which can also impact on their short term memory. They may also have difficulty with time and place, for example, getting up in the middle of the night to go to work, even though they’re retired. There may be a difficulty when shopping with choosing the items and then selecting the right money to pay for them. For some people, the ability to reason and make decisions may also be affected. Some people with dementia may get a sense of restlessness and prefer to keep moving than sit still; others may be reluctant or lack the motivation to take part in activities they used to enjoy.
Communication
People with dementia may repeat themselves often or have difficulty finding the right words. Reading and writing might become challenging. They can lose interest in seeing others socially. Following and engaging in conversation can be difficult and tiring, and so a formerly outgoing person might become quieter and more introverted. Their self-confidence might also be affected.
Mood and behaviour
People with dementia might experience changes in personality, behaviour, mood, and have some elements of anxiety and depression due to the changes they are experiencing.
Speaker Interview
Q：Tell us a bit about your daily activities at the organisation.
Poppy：
We currently offer two Life Story film packages. The first is a 30-minute film featuring images from family albums, interviews with our ‘star’ and their family members, accompanied by their favourite music tracks. We also edit this to make a shorter Carer film.
I promote our services to people living with dementia and their families and carers through presentations, public outreach/social media and I work with the filmmakers to make sure the filmmaking goes smoothly from start to finish.
We’re also currently doing a lot of marketing for our new My Life TV service-
a dementia-friendly TV channel:
https://mylifefilms.org/my-life-tv/
Q：What attracted you to My Life Films.
Poppy：
After completing a Masters in media for development and social change, I was very interested in using media to help people through participatory filmmaking. My Life Films is very innovative and you can see the positive impact the life story films have in helping people living with dementia. My Grandma had dementia and I could really see how our services could have benefitted her.
目前，全世界大约有5000万痴呆症患者，其中有六七成是阿尔茨海默症，他们被称为“百年孤独”，正如电影最后主人公安东尼已经忘记了自己的名字，还有什么会比将自己当成陌生人，更让人孤独吗？不管是这部电影还是这次讲座，它们可能是大家关注和帮助痴呆症患者的起点，但相信它们不会是终点。