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AND THOU SHALT HONOR ...
premiering on October 9 at 9 PM on PBS (check local listings),
tells the real life stories of families across America who are struggling to act on their personal values
by caring for aging parents or a chronically ill partner.
Profiles in Caring Biographies and Photo Index
(select participants from AND THOU SHALT HONOR...)
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In Georgia, a stroke has left Mattie Boykin mentally impaired and physically frail with no plan, no help and no money. Having raised her nine children by cleaning houses and cooking in government commissaries, Mattie’s care has fallen into the hands of three of her children, Milton Boykin (top), Larry Stegall and Gladys Platt. They share four-month shifts in caring for their mother. Struggling to keep Mattie out of a nursing home, the family is not entitled to any financial help from Medicaid. Gladys can’t afford adult daycare, so instead, Mattie spends her days in the KFC restaurant that Gladys manages. Mattie is often tired of moving from house to house and her understanding of her situation is limited, but despite her frustration, Milton believes, “Nobody can look after our mama better than we can.” Photo: Courtesy of Wiland-Bell Productions |
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In her home in Mesa, Arizona, Ethelinn Block (far right) cares for her father Arthur (bottom, center), who is one of four million Americans who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Showers, meals and getting Arthur out of bed are everyday struggles for Ethelinn, who worries about her father’s penchant for wandering and his tendency to accidents like flooding her house by flushing whole rolls of toilet paper. With her brother Brian living down the block, these burdens tax the whole family emotionally. Ethelinn wonders, “I’m already giving so much here that I wonder, at some point, ... will there be any of me left?” Photo: Courtesy of Wiland-Bell Productions |
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Attorney Janet Morris (left) discusses caregiving costs with Jerry Cohen (right) in Los Angeles, CA. If Jerry were to put his wife Harriet in a nursing home, he would be automatically eligible for Medicaid. Instead, he chooses to care for her at home, like millions of family caregivers who reduce their assets to zero from the expense of caregiving. Jerry has already spent $75,000 of his $110,000 savings on Harriet’s care, but he is undeterred. Asserting he loves her more now than ever, he can say with confidence, “I am doing the right thing. I want her home, giving her the best of care, with love.” Photo: Courtesy of Wiland-Bell Productions |
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