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As part of its mission, the Palliative and Supportive Medicine Program at Geisinger Medical Center strives to educate the community about difficult medical, ethical and caregiver issues associated with incurable and terminal diseases. We are seeking to partner with organizations to offer free programs that will spark discussions of these important topics.
A typical program would include the showing of a documentary film followed by audience discussion led by a representative of the Palliative and Supportive Medicine department. A round table discussion is one alternative format, depending on the needs of the sponsoring organization.
Our library includes nearly 50 videocassettes, including those listed blow.
More information is available from Geisinger's Palliative and Supportive Medicine Program. Call (570) 271-7383 or e-mail PallMed@geisinger.edu.
Aging & Gerontology
*The Personals: Improvisations on Romance in the Golden Years
By Keiko Ibi.
Academy Award - Winner, Best Short Documentary
36 Minutes, 1998
This outstanding video offers an extraordinary look at the emotional lives of elderly Americans. On stage, a drama group of seniors perform their roles with energy and laughter. Off stage, their lives are often lived alone, and in silence. The Personals follows a group of senior citizens as they rehearse and present an original play at a community theater on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Drawn from the comedy and drama of their own lives, the play is structured around their quest for dates through the personal ads. As the rehearsals progress, the filmmaker's camera follows the individual members of the group into their homes, as it explores both the joys and the sorrows of growing old in America. With the never-ending longing for love, sex, and relationships as its central theme, The Personals draws a surprisingly humorous and in-depth portrait of a segment of our society whose inner lives are not often explored.
AIDS
Rude Awakenings
By Joan Grossman, for the Union Settlement Association.
20 Minutes, 1995
AIDS confronts many people with the most extreme test of religious faith they will face in their lifetimes. Not only those who are ill, but their families and friends, congregations and spiritual advisors may find their convictions challenged. This provocative video explores issues of spirituality from the viewpoints of people with AIDS, and of clergy of many faiths.
Alzheimer's Disease
*In and Out of Time
A New Day film by Elizabeth Finlayson.
Gold Apple, National Educational Media Network
14 Minutes, 1991
In this tender personal account, the filmmaker lovingly chronicles her grandmother's loss of memory due to Alzheimer's Disease. The film offers a compassionate and encouraging vision of adaptation to aging that will be helpful to family members, caregivers, and professionals.
*Agitation...It's a Sign
Produced by Assisted Living University
1998 Cine Golden Eagle
Gold Award, HeSCA, Health Sciences Communication Assn Media Festival
14 Minutes, 1998
When people with Alzheimer's become agitated and aggressive, they may be trying to communicate with the world outside their dementia. Lashing out may often be their only recourse for expressing their very real fear and anxiety. Through real-life patient encounters, this video show appropriate and compassionate techniques which can prevent or diffuse patients' anxiety, agitation and aggression.
*My Mother, My Father: My Mother, My Father....Seven Years Later
By James Vanden Bosch.
First Prize, Media Owl Awards
33 Minutes, 1991
When a parent grows old it often falls to their adult children to provide care for them. These celebrated documentaries take a candid look at families and their deep and often conflicting feelings as they deal with the stresses involved in caring for an aging parent. In My Mother, My Father we meet four families dealing with an aging parent. One family has chosen to have the husband's father, who has Alzheimer's disease, live with them, while others have chosen either nursing home care or some level of in-home support.
My Mother, My Father ...SevenYears Later checks in with each family seven years after the original filming - to explore changes over the years in family dynamics and caregiving needs. The caregivers reflect on their own aging, and on their plans for when they become dependent on others.
Cancer
*Not Just A Cancer Patient
By Jana Levenson Brenman and Tom Hill.
Gold Apple, National Educational Film & Video Festival
23 Minutes, 1991
Focusing on several articulate teens undergoing treatment, this video helps nurses, physicians, social workers and psychologists understand the needs and feelings of this engaging and very special population.
*Beyond the Loss of the Breast
By Sherry Thomas-Zon.
25 Minutes, 1994
Addresses breast cancer through the unique personal narratives and poetry of two women living with recurrent breast cancer, and the filmmaker, whose mother died from metastatic disease. This beautiful video will help other women and their families, friends and caregivers.
*Tell Them You're Fine
By Ian Aronson.
Jury Award, New York Expo of Short Film & Video
16 Minutes, 1997
A diagnosis of cancer is no longer an automatic death sentence; more and more people today can hope to recover, but in the meantime must learn to live with uncertainty. In this intimate short, three fairly young people confront the day-to-day realities of undergoing therapy while also coping with the impact of the disease on their parents and children, friends and coworkers.
*Look For Me Here: 299 Days in the Life of Nora Lenihan
New England Cable News.
Gold Apple, National Educational Media Network
George Foster Peabody Award
58 Minutes, 1997
When she learned her breast cancer had recurred and metastasized, 40-year-old Nora Lenihan chose to forego radical treatment, and to face death with hospice care at home. Focusing on the comfort provided by her caregivers, family, and support network of friends and coworkers, this extraordinary portrait chronicles the year from that decision to her death.
*No Fears, No Tears-13 Years Later
Dr. Leora Kuttner, Executive Producer
HeSCA, Health Sciences Communication Assn Media Festival, Holly Lux
Harrington Award
First Place, National Council on Family Relations Media Award
International Health and Medical Competition, Freddy Awards
46 Minutes, 1998
Thirteen years ago, the award-winning No Fears, No Tears documented how eight children with cancer, aged three to twelve years old, got through painful medical treatments with the therapeutic support of clinical psychologist, Leora Kuttner. Through the moving stories of these courageous youngsters, the video demonstrated the strength of the human spirit, and the mind's natural ability to ease even excruciating physical pain. It demonstrates specific techniques which enable children to ease even the most excruciating pain.
In the unique new production, No Fears No Tears -13 Years Later, Dr. Kuttner revisits seven of the same children thirteen years later, to explore the long-term impact of having learned as a child how to deal with fear and pain. These now young adults still vividly recollect their painful childhood experiences, but they also describe how learning to master the pain has affected their lives today. Their stories dramatically challenge prevailing myths about childhood pain, powerfully demonstrating the power of hypnosis, imagery, breathing and distraction, and proving that children can learn to actively help themselves through taxing medical treatment.
Death & Dying
*The Way We Die
By Jonathan Mednick.
Second Place, Media Owl Awards
25 Minutes, 1995
Through interviews with doctors, patients, and family members, and through intimate and movingly filmed interactions between medical personnel and their terminally ill patients, this video encourages health professionals to work with their patients to devise treatment plans in accordance with their needs and values, and to attend to the larger issue of what illness means for a particular patient and family. This is a valuable tool for continuing education programs, and for schools of nursing, medicine and allied health.
*Living Fully Until Death
From "The Doctor Is In" series, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
First Place, AMA International Health & Medical Film Festival
28 Minutes, 1996
After being diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, Brandeis University Professor Morrie Schwartz chose to make confronting death into a meditation on the meaning of life. Also featured in this program are Shirley Waring, who has leukemia, and William Meyer, who has lung cancer. Each of them has found a unique path toward coming to terms with terminal illness as well as taking control of what remains of their lives.
Dementia
He's Doing This to Spite Me: Emotional Conflicts in Dementia Care
By Northwest Media, Inc.
22 Minutes, 2000
Those who are close to someone who has dementia often find it hard to deal with the erratic and difficult behaviors that result from the disease. They may begin to interpret these behavior patterns as intentional and to feel that the hostility and resistance they see are directed at them personally. Under the daily stresses of caregiving, and lacking a full understanding of the ways dementia affects behavior, caregivers may respond with frustration, impatience, and even anger. Often, this only escalates the cycle of emotional discomfort, hostility, and defensiveness. In this frank video, three caregivers openly share their experiences of conflict and frustration in interactions with their loved one who has dementia. These scenes are integrated with comments and guidance from professionals in dementia care. The result is a program which teaches both family and professional caregivers how to reframe the dynamic into one which is more comfortable and productive for both caregiver and patient.
End of life care
*A Fate Worse Than Death
By Lori Hope, King Broadcasting Company.
Outstanding Journalism Award, College of Health Care Administrators
50 Minutes, 1990
This engrossing documentary follows several families who must decide whether to withdraw artificial life support from a loved one in a coma or vegetative state. Relatives, doctors, nurses, attorneys and ethicists comment on the complex moral and legal dilemmas such tragedies pose for families, for health providers, and for society as a whole. The video also includes a valuable discussion of living wills and durable powers of attorney.
Ethics
To Choose No Harm
By Fred Simon, with the Newton Television Foundation.
45 Minutes, 1996
The situations that healthcare workers confront when caring for dying patients can present the most ethically challenging problems they will ever face. This powerful new documentary allows us to be present at meetings in which two different healthcare teams must resolve conflicts between the wishes of their patients and the patients' families, and their own beliefs and clinical judgments. Each case is discussed by a panel of caregivers, administrators, and ethicists. An invaluable resource for discussions of nursing, medicine, ethics and healthcare policy.
Professional Choices: Ethics at Work
From the Office of Ethics and Adjudication, National Association of Social Workers.
40 Minutes, 1995
In this video, social workers, educators and administrators speak candidly about ethical issues that can arise for social workers and clients. Also included are case scenarios that highlight the fine line between sound ethical practice and professional misconduct. This video is a valuable tool for social work practitioners, faculty and students, organization leaders and agency and licensing board administrators.
*The Vanishing Line
By Maren Monsen, MD.
Award for Excellence in Documentary, Nashville Independent Film Festival
52 Minutes, 1998
When does life become a fate worse that death? In this age of medical "miracles," increasing numbers of doctors, patients and their families are forced to face this question. In this outstanding film, physician/filmmaker Maren Monsen offers an intensely personal look at this modern medical dilemma and its timeless implications, as she takes on a lyrical and heartfelt quest to discover an "art of dying" in a world that taught her well to prolong life, but offered few prescriptions for treating death. As seen on the Public Television series, P.O.V.
*From Rules to Caring Practices
From the Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith and Ethics.
Silver Hugo, Best Adult Education Video: Chicago International Film Festival
16 Minutes, 2000
This new training package addresses ethical issues faced by frontline home care workers providing services to the elderly. It poses four questions as the building blocks of everyday ethics: How can I build and maintain a trusting relationship with this person? How can I respect and affirm this client as a person of worth? What does it mean to care well for this person? What do I need in order to respect myself and affirm that I am a morally worthy person.
Designed as a "train the trainer" program for home care agencies, it can be presented as a three-hour program or as three one-hour sessions, and can also be used for self-study by individual staff. The package consists of a 16-minute video, which presents four cases in which home care workers must resolve ethical dilemmas in caring for their patients, along with an extensive Instructor's Guide and Caregiver's Workbook. Also included are an Instructor's Guide and Caregiver's Workbook for exploring some of the same issues as they arise in adult daycare settings.
Euthanasia
*Self Deliverance
By Michael Lutzky
Best Documentary Debut, NY Expo of Short Film & Video
18 Minutes, 2000
John Grisham says that he has reached his "use by date." He believes in God, and in the dignity of human life, but he also believes that helping people end their lives may sometimes be more compassionate than using machines and drugs to prolong a life already at its end. While he doesn't expect to change anyone else's mind, he demands respect for his own decisions. When his life becomes intolerable, he wants to die on his own terms.
Living with constant pain, and with the knowledge that his time is limited, John spends his days looking for a hospice program that will respect his wishes, or a doctor who will help him to end his life when he decides it is time. In the meantime, he tries to stockpile enough drugs to do the job himself if he needs to.
This unflinching portrait was filmed in Australia's Northern Territory, where Parliament was debating the world's first legislation guaranteeing terminally ill people the right to a physician-assisted death. It includes articulate testimony from physicians on both sides of this controversial issue, but its primary focus is on one courageous man's determination to confront death with dignity.
Grief
*Inner Views of Grief
By Juanita Johnson.
Silver Apple, National Educational Media Network
30 Minutes, 1995
In this compelling video, five young adults, from ages 14 to 26, discuss their reactions to the sudden, sometimes violent death of a parent, sibling or friend. These insightful young women and men talk about what helped them at the time of death, how family relationships changed, how they have coped with their feelings, and the ways they have commemorated the deceased. This will be an excellent teaching tool for mental health professionals, teachers, school crisis teams, hospice workers, clergy, funeral directors, parents and bereaved individuals of all ages.
Those Who Stay Behind: When a Family Member is Dying
A New Video by Larry Churchill, Mia Doron, Erica Rothman and Lisa Yarger
31 Minutes, 1999
"There's nothing in my life experience that prepared me for this. This was something altogether new, and it needs to be how you feel, not how a whole set of conventions are telling you to feel. Allowing yourself that is crucial."
When patients and their families enter the hospital, they are like newcomers to a foreign country. Sights, smells, language - the basic culture of the hospital is unfamiliar and often frightening. Yet it is within this context that many families must make decisions about when and how to help a loved one die. Faced with such a monumental responsibility, they may feel bewildered and overwhelmed. Perhaps even more importantly, they are likely to feel very alone; they may wish they could have a guide to help them navigate the healthcare system, the tangle of medical decisions they must make - and even their own grief process.
This video presents interviews with five people who have recently lost family members. Their personal stories offer viewers the opportunity to identify with others' experiences, thereby decreasing their own sense of isolation. Those Who Stay Behind can be used effectively with audiences of family members, bereavement groups, church and community groups exploring end-of-life issues, and hospice and hospital staff and volunteers, as well as nursing and medical students.
Healthcare professionals
*The Healers of 400 Parnassus
By Laura Gabbert.
Silver Apple, National Educational Media Network
Special Recognition, 1998 American Academy of Nursing Media Awards
57 Minutes, 1997
An exploration of healthcare at its best, this is an unflinching look at physicians, nurses and social workers who confront the daily tragedies and triumphs of dealing with seriously ill patients. Though filmed in an HIV clinic, this extraordinary documentary is about far more than a particular healthcare crisis. Through intimate cinema-verite footage of the interactions between patients and their caregivers, it offers a unique portrait of the bravery, honesty, teamwork, and humor which enable these committed professionals to transcend the daily stresses and remain dedicated, even inspired, by their work. This moving video captures the essence of "person-centered care" --- nursing practice that emphasizes the challenges and rewards of relating to patients as whole people, with histories and values that go beyond current medical needs. Including interviews with articulate and thoughtful nurses, patients, and families, and with examples of excellent nurse-patient interactions, this video is a must-see for all nurses and nursing students.
Hospice care
Common Heroes
Choices in Hospice Care
By Robert Ruvkun
30 Minutes, 2001
Facing terminal illness can be terrifying, not only for patients, but also for family members who must choose how best to help and care for their loved one at the end of life. Both patients and their families are likely to experience anger, denial, family conflicts, and a whole range of complex emotional issues - not to mention physical issues such as pain management. Today, they are increasingly likely to turn to the staff of hospice programs to provide support and guidance through the dying process.
This revealing new video follows the nurses, physicians, social workers and clergy who make up the hospice team. It demonstrates the ways they collaborate to help families develop care plans that will maximize each patient's quality of life during the end stages of their illness, while also providing family support and grief counseling. Threaded through the documentary are the moving stories of several hospice patients. Also shown is an innovative program at the University of California, San Diego, where all medical students undergo a hospice rotation.
Life support
Life Support Decisions
By Peter Walsh, New World Media Alliance.
50 Minutes, 1996
This important video will help elders, their families, and the professionals who work with them to understand their rights and options regarding life-support technologies and end-of-life care and decision making. Its discussion of the many issues involved in preparing Advance Directives encourages everyone to consider these questions, and to communicate their wishes to their loved ones and caregivers before becoming ill or hospitalized.
Caring at the End of Life
By Ben Achtenberg, with Christine Mitchell, RN, FAAN
45 Minutes, 2001
Central to this provocative documentary is the case of a comatose patient, whose family and healthcare team are in conflict over how long to continue with the treatments which are keeping him alive. In making decisions about his care, they confront disturbing ethical questions about patient autonomy vs. the needs of the family, about who is in a position to judge what another person would want, about the role and impact of faith, and about the certainty or fallibility of medical judgement. This moving film focuses on the key roles of nursing staff in patient care and communication. It profiles six severely ill patients who agreed to be a part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation�s SUPPORT Study on end-of-life care and decision making.
Their stories offer no easy answers, but raise many of the key issues faced by patients and those who care for them, including the role of technology, deciding when to use or withdraw life-sustaining treatments, the importance of effective pain management, and the impact of patients' culture and community on care decisions.
Suicide
*Remembering Tom
By Daryl K. Davis, for the National Film Board of Canada
Columbus International Film Festival, Bronze Award
National Council on Family Relations Media Festival
24 Minutes, 2000
This powerful new film explores the tragic aftermath of a young man's suicide, and its devastating impact on his entire family. Tom was eighteen when he killed himself, leaving his mother, father, sister and brother to deal with the anguish of his death. Two years later his sister Rachel, now seventeen, describes how the event changed her life, and confesses that she had to overcome suicidal thoughts of her own in the months after her brother died. It was, she says, "the greatest pain anyone can imagine."
All the members of this seemingly close-knit family speak of their feelings of shock, loss, and guilt, but they also convey the ways they have learned to live with - not "get over" - Tom's suicide. Their strength and resilience offer hope that, although we cannot always prevent such a tragedy, we can make effective choices about how to cope as a survivor.
* Award winning films
Geisinger Medical Center
