To Whom I May Concern®
TWIMC works with people with early stage dementia who participate in local Alzheimer's support groups. We invite them to tell us what it is like to live with dementia, and then put their stories into a script that they first validate and then perform before an audience of care partners, family and professional. The Talkback at the end opens a dialogue between them and the audience that is always moving. Every performance ends with a standing ovation that reminds us that this is a powerful program for empowering people with dementia and changing public attitudes and that we need to take it further but, until now, we have been limited geographically. We overcame this limitation, however, when we started "TWIMC Online" which brings together people with dementia from around the world via their computer and webcam. We have had up to 9 people on the screen at one time sharing their stories of life after the diagnosis from across the USA including Hawaii, Canada and UK. from the comfort of their own home. Together we created a script which they performed in a webinar. With each Online group (2), we have improved the quality of the video and currently we have included a cinematographer who has taken the project to a new level. Instead of a scripted performance, we have now captured the spontaneity of their conversations on film. We are in post production of a video that realistically conveys the story of 5 people, most in their 50's, whose life has been up-ended by dementia. Our plan is to create a Discussion Guide to accompany the video so that it can be used widely as an educational tool. This 'fly on the wall' technology has been reviewed by people in the field of dementia and film with overwhelming praise. A preview of the video is available on our website. towhomimayconcern.org