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The Danville Senior Center is hosting a screening of a new documentary on dementia by a Bay Area filmmaker at the end of May — recognized nationally as Older Americans Month — as a culmination of events for the month.
“Key Bags Names Words: Hope in Aging and Dementia” from North Bay producer and director Cynthia Stone was made available for screenings worldwide this year, with one of those screenings set for Danville’s Village Theatre on May 28.
The screening is set to serve as a special event for the Danville Senior Center’s monthly “buzz sessions” held on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. While the offerings vary month to month, Leah Martinez, the town’s program supervisor for adults and seniors, said that the film was selected in order to offer a different perspective on dementia and cognitive decline than the practical information often provided in the monthly events.
“There’s some fear around cognitive decline and memory care issues that we see, but we’re casting it in a more positive light and showing people what it looks like in real time,” Martinez told Embarcadero Media Foundation.
Rather than a deep dive into the science and the often tragic experiences facing those with dementia and their caregivers, “Keys Bags Names Words” seeks to showcase the lives of people living with cognitive decline and point more broadly towards what their day-to-day lives say about the human experience and spirit.
Stone, a longtime Bay Area documentarian, said on the film’s website that “the wisdom and humor of those in this film helped her better connect with, and care for, her own mother throughout her aging process from her vital active years through her memory loss.”
The film is aimed at comparing and contrasting the lived experiences of people facing cognitive decline worldwide, and highlighting how they adapt to diagnoses of dementia, as well as the work of artists and scientists seeking a better understanding of the condition and developing solutions.
The people featured in the documentary come from a range of fields including theater, medical anthropology, music, policy and neuropsychology.
“This documentary is intended to be the starting point of a conversation for people who are in similar situations to be able to connect,” Martinez said.
In addition to being targeted towards local seniors who themselves might be experiencing or concerned about experiencing cognitive decline, Martinez noted that the film screening — along with other sessions and services offered by the senior center — are also aimed at supporting caregivers, including seniors themselves who might be in that role.
“We’re a very active senior center, so some of our seniors are family caregivers for their partner or someone they know,” Martinez said.
While general offerings from the senior center and its “Buzz Sessions” include community building and other enrichment activities, Martinez said she estimated that about a third of the events focus on cognitive decline in some way, with a session focused on Alzheimer’s disease in December having been particularly well attended. She noted that information, resources, and referrals on the topic are in high demand.
“Our goal is to provide a safe space to get credible resources, so they don’t feel like they have nowhere to go,” Martinez said. “We’re happy to be that starting point for them.”
In addition to supporting seniors with information on cognitive decline and other conditions that older adults are at higher risk for, Martinez said she and the senior center staff also seek to support caregivers, and to provide resources and reminders of the importance of caring for themselves as well.
“I think people underestimate the impact on themselves when they’re caregiving for someone with memory care challenges,” Martinez said. “Sometimes we’ll actually see the caregiver decline physically. So continuing to take care of yourself and your own mental and physical health, even when going through a family caregiving process is really important.”
“Don’t forget your own doctor’s appointments, and make sure you are still seeking social time outside of yourself,” she continued. “The world can shrink when we care for one and that person is requiring a lot of attention.”
While the film aims to highlight the personal experiences of those with dementia diagnoses and their caregivers and supporters, it also points towards broader issues that make the condition all the more challenging. One of the experts featured is Walt Dawson, whose father developed Alzheimer’s disease when he was 10 years old and who went on to become a policy expert seeking to improve support systems for patients and families.
“We don’t really have a system that provides long-term services and supports in this country,” Dawson said on the film’s website. “I felt at that age that that was not right. That we could and should do better. And I still believe that today.”
Although Martinez and other senior center staff don’t provide medical or full-time caregiving services, she noted that supporting local seniors with memory decline means developing and acting with empathy to contend with challenges often caused by the condition.
“What we see most frequently in our interactions here would be that when people become confused they can get frustrated, so we’re in a position of managing that from a customer service standpoint,” Martinez said. “From an empathy standpoint, it can be very frustrating when people become confrontational, so we’re continuing to develop compassion and empathy through everything we do. We don’t know when someone walks in what they’re dealing with at home, either personally or with their spouse.”
However, she emphasized that the upcoming screening and the conversations started by it would be unique, rather than the senior center’s standard fare of practical resources that are offered regularly.
“We do have ‘Buzz Sessions’ that are dedicated to things like that, but this is more to shift the narrative away from fear and hopelessness and bring in hope,” Martinez said.
“Keys Bags Names Words” is set to play in the Village Theatre at 233 Front St. in Danville on May 28 at 10 a.m. More information is available at danville.ca.gov.
