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Elder Abuse: Domestic Violence in Later Life
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Giving Up the Keys: Driving and Dementia
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Wandering: A Journey to Safety
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Elder Abuse: Domestic Violence in Later Life
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| Terra Nova Films has entered in a three-year agreement to
produce a new series of videos on domestic violence in later life. Terra Nova
is working with the Wisconsin Coaltion Against Domestic Violence’s National
Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL) to produce the videos. NCALL is a
nationally recognized leader on program development, policy and technical
assistance and training that addresses the nexus between domestic violence,
sexual assault and elder abuse/neglect.
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| The videos will be produced in a documentary style, and will
focus on older victims sharing their experiences, supplemented with interviews
of practitioners and others involved in their specific cases. Discussion guides
and a training manual with teaching recommendations and outlines will accompany
each video. The videos and print materials will be pilot-tested and reviewed by
various professional associations throughout the country before they are
finalized.
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| Funding for the development of the videos and the collateral
training materials is being provided by a three-year grant from the United
States Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime.
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Giving Up the Keys: Driving and Dementia
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| As Americans continue to live and drive longer, families
(and health care professionals) around the country are being forced to deal
with a very real and growing safety issue—that of older drivers and
age-associated dementia. Even in the early stages of dementia, driving skills
can be compromised and diminished. Impairment can include vision, perception,
attention span, memory, judgment, and reaction time. As the dementia
progresses, one's ability to drive safely decreases.
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| Despite concerns about the dangers of their loved ones with
dementia continuing to drive, many caregivers admit that they have not made and
would not know how to begin making plans for driving cessation. Driving for
most people is a highly charged symbol of their independence, competence, and
self-worth; therefore, the mere thought of relinquishing the “right” to drive
is met with resistance and denial. Being encouraged to “give up the keys" often
carries with it deep emotional associations, and for the person with dementia
and the family members, this issue can become very stressful and divisive. The
issues themselves and ways of dealing with them are explored in a comprehensive
30 minute video now in production by Terra Nova with an anticipated completion
date of Winter, 2007.
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Wandering: A Journey to Safety
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| Also in production at Terra Nova is a 30-45 minute video on
the “wandering” behavior associated with those living with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Every year there are reports of an estimated 125,000 Alzheimer’s patients who
leave the safety of their home, sometimes unwilling or unable to return.
Wandering is among the most unsettling and dangerous behaviors that people with
Alzheimer’s can exhibit. Statistics indicate that if the wanderer is not found
within 24 hours, there is only a 56 % chance of survival.
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| The issues involved in wandering are complex. This video
will be the most comprehensive work done on the problem to date, exploring
in-depth the reasons that lead to wandering, offering recommendations on how to
cut down or prevent wandering, suggestions for creating a safer environment for
those who exhibit the inclination to wander, and a look at some of the ways
currently being used to insure the safe return of the wanderer.
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| This video is being produced by Terra Nova for the
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA), headquartered in New York and founded
in 2002 with the objective to unite organizations from “coast to coast that are
dedicated to meeting the educational, social, emotional and practical needs of
individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and related illnesses and their caregivers
and families.
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