Care As You Are
‘Care As You Are’ is a film about the emotional impact of caring for a parent or spouse with dementia.
This project is funded by a grant from the “Solutions for an Ageing Society” programme run by Somerset Community Foundation in partnership with UnLtd, South West Academic Health Science Network and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
CAYA is an 80-minute film drama which follows the journey of a carer looking after her mother who is living with dementia. The film was written by Mary Renouf, who cared for her own father for seven years, and directed by Joanna Procter. Carefully researched with carer groups in Somerset and working with dementia expert Dr Jane Dalrymple, this is a compelling and reflective film and should resonate with many families today.
We received a grant from Somerset CC Adult Social Care to develop the film into a training tool for people working with and supporting family carers. The film was screened in Langport and Taunton as part of Dementia Action week, followed by a training development workshop to develop the training package with a number of professionals.
DVD with comprehensive booklet available on Amazon.
We then continued our work with Dr Dalrymple to develop the training packages, working with a number of organisations representing different parts of the sector. Following feedback, Care As You Are has now been developed into two versions – one is a straight-through version, while the other pauses at the end of various scenes to allow reflections and questions relating to the scene.
The e-learning programme based on the film will shortly go live with Somerset County Council Social Care, and we will be offering the programme more widely.
We are also exploring how the film and some of the activities devised around it can be embedded in a new app that is being developed to support carers in their role. We recently developed a two-hour online workforce development workshop, using scenes from the film, for a large mental health and community trust. The workshop was attended by clinicians and carers the trust has supported.
We are also working with a well-established carers centre to explore how all these developments might be taken forward to support their work.
Conversations surrounding dementia in loved ones can be awkward and pushed under the carpet, especially when talking about feelings. People can feel isolated, frustrated and invisible. The film continues to move people and support guided conversations about caring for someone with a progressive condition such as dementia.
Care As You Are DVD with comprehensive booklet available on Amazon.
Also, the Care As You Are film is available to buy or rent on Prime Video.
Access this service by signing onto your Amazon account, then click on Prime Video (top left on menu bar) then in the search bar type in Care As You Are and the sleeve for Care As You Are, DVD will appear.
Next to the sleeve is the five-star review row. Under this row, click on Prime Video (in blue) which will then deliver CAYA Care As You Are big image from film, and purchase options to rent or buy to view online.
I just wanted to thank you again for a great session today, really powerful and inspiring. I am sure that it will motivate professionals to reflect and bring forward ideas for change in the way we provide support for carers, and it will be important to keep the momentum going!
Care As You Are is such powerful stuff…brilliant…useful for all carers. An excellent film and learning package.
I really enjoyed the film and I thought your writing was very powerful (I have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing myself), and thought you did a sterling job of anchoring the script in reality and not allowing melodrama to creep in to the piece. All of the dialogue was really believable. Congratulations on a job well done!
I attended the April 7th event held by St George’s MHT for informal and professional carers using the training tool film. I was really impressed by the training tool which I understand is being developed.
