TISSUES RECOMMENDED: Heartfelt Commercial Beautifully Done Re Alz's

Jo C.

Perhaps not entirely realistic for many, but heartfelt and meaningful; beautifully done in its own way and meaning. Done with input from Alz Assn.:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/finance/news/tears-streaming-down-face-chevy-003621454.html

J.

Mint

Thank you for sharing this, I had not seen it yet. 🙏🏻💛🙏🏻

White Crane

My niece posted this on Facebook yesterday. It is beautifully done and very meaningful and heartfelt.

ImMaggieMae

Thank you for posting this, Jo. Beautifully done. Certainly brought tears to my eyes.

Quilting brings calm

It made me cry- even though it’s not realistic at all. Let’s start up an old car that hasn’t been driven, most likely has no plates or insurance. And let’s have Grandma go from being non verbal to speaking in full sentences and enjoying a crowded holiday dinner.

still made me cry. And probably will every time I see it

toolbeltexpert

Joe someone had posted it on Facebook with just the tissue warning. It really hit hard and I posted a comment that it was my reality. Yeah it sure makes ya cry but IMHO it lessens the reality of life in dementia world. It makes it a feel good moment. Makes everybody warm and fuzzy. Thats just bs.

sorry I am a bah humbug its just my ho.

LJCHR

This was beautiful. May not be realistic but made me cry. Sometimes crying helps relieve sadness and tension.

What I appreciated about was highlighting dementia. So many people are afraid of it and I think this could increase awareness somewhat.

We need more information to go out to public do they can understand it’s a disease like cancer, etc and not something taboo people are afraid of.

Thanks so much for sharing.

Joe C.

Certainly brought a tear to my eye, wish I could borrow that pickup for a day!

harshedbuzz

I have so many feelings about this.

Firstly, kudos to the production values of the ad. It's lovely to look at. A props for highlighting dementia as condition that impacts many lives.

But I suspect that the tears it brings come from the same place as the ones that come at the conclusion of a film in which a hero prevails over adversity to have their happily ever after.

Perhaps I am channeling my inner curmudgeon but I have so many nits to pick about the portrayal of the PWD.

Nana's impeccable grooming and Talbots-worthy ensemble are suggestive of a woman who is in very early stages and yet the withdrawal portrayed by her flat affect suggest she's much further along. If my dad had more than 3 people in the house by the time as apathetic as she appears he'd have been in a rage. And is it my imagination or is that the same actress who plays the pleasantly befuddled lady in the massive white house baking with home health aides?

The size and scale of the gathering. I am dazzled by the shear stamina of her spousal caregiver maintaining that massive house, vintage Suburban, keeping his wife perfectly turned out and then hosting a meal for 20 people. In reality, she would have been shadowing him and underfoot. And then there's the sidebar with the daughter asking after mom as if she's not a part of his care team. I don't know what meds he's on, but I want some.

I was surprised the granddaughter was allowed to take Nana for this joyride. She looks like the sort who is home from college for the semester break, sees her grandparents a couple times a year but feels entitled to drive Granddad's prized possession. He'll have to sell it as a community spouse when she goes on Medicaid if it comes to that. Granddaughter doesn't appear to have any familiarity with caregiving in general (or common sense given the fact that many PWD are always cold) given that her mom had to admonish her to bring something to keep Nana warm.

The scene where Nana gets into the Suburban is pretty amusing to one who has struggled to get PWD into vehicles. I used to keep an eye on my friend's mom when she was in the early stages and was living alone around the corner. When friend went for a quick weekend to see one of her sons at college, she would enlist me to help mom water her garden and drive her to friend's house to water that garden and tend the cats. I could just about get her in my old Cherokee with a step stool. I once tried to pick her up in my husband's Wrangler but she couldn't figure the steps out, so I had my son bring me the other car. Dad could manage mom's minivan but my Accord was required a lot of assistance from me.

I appreciate the intention and recognize the old adage if you've seen one person with dementia, you've seen on person with dementia but there were details of this that were eyeroll inducing. It has a fantasy quality to it that plays on us wishing real life was like that which is why we cry.

HB; living up to my screenname.

Cecil Jones

Overall I didn't care for the commercial...just to unrealistic for me. If I could only find that switch on my wife's brain! I guess Alzheimer's has harden my heart.

Kibbee

It reminds me of the film The Notebook where the woman with Alzheimer’s, living in a care facility, is always immaculately turned out. Hair styled, make up on, beautifully coordinated clothing, nice dress shoes and pantyhose. Pantyhose! Can you just imagine trying to wrestle a PWD into a pair of those?

housefinch

@harshedbuzz you made me laugh—I need some of the Grandpa meds, too! You captured my sentiments perfectly.

Jeff86

Color me disgusted by this manipulative and misleading appropriation of this terrible disease to sell cars. The actress gives a brilliant initial portrayal of advanced dementia, but a ride in an old car is not going to restore her to her previous self. There is a huge need to increase awareness of AD but not with false happily ever after Hollywood endings that bear no relation to the ravages of this disease.

Grumpy comment from a recent Stage 8 caregiver.

CStrope

@harshedbuzz you pretty much nailed my feelings about the commercial too!

@Kibbee That's exactly how I felt when watching The Notebook!!

@Jo C. I apologize if some of us had a different take on the commercial. I did cry the first time I saw it too, but then I realized I was crying because I knew that perfect little scene would never happen for my family. DH is never going to suddenly know I'm his wife, and there will never be a house full of caring wonderful people there to visit and chat with my DH.

ButterflyWings

I declined to watch it before seeing these comments due to my own skepticism about the ad industry, especially at this time of the year. Seems my instincts were right. I appreciate the honest assessments.

Marketers are masters at tugging on the heartstrings to make a buck. That is just sickening in this instance, since instead of shining the light on dementias as the devastating public health crisis we caregivers know them to be, it sounds like this feel good piece expands exposure to harmful stereotypes.

Film is SO influential, even the short reels like this. It can be a beautiful piece of fiction but also very, very negative in impact. Things like this almost need a legal disclaimer with "the truth" scrolling along the bottom, like the tobacco ads and meds. Seriously. Because from the comments of those here who are living the reality it sounds like is exploitative and undermines the accurate education we really need for society to care enough to change legislation, fund a real cure and significant caregiver support, etc.

Glad you shared this, Jo. It is a conversation that more in the general public need to have, and understand.

Jo C.

Heavens; I have the same take as most of you. I thought the technical filming was beautifully done and I had some tears thinking of my mother, BUT the script was really so much fiction taken too far . . . in almost all films I see re Alz's, the person with dementia is put together so nicely and it seems that all live in high end housing and no financial issues and have adequate help.

I had a grin that the daughter did not seem to know what was what with her mother . . . and mother was SO well dressed, groomed and even accessorized . . . and was so locked within herself; to suddenly at the end be completely connected was to me, really off putting.

People who have no idea of dementia see this and then have false ideas of what the facts are. But . . . no Christmas special feelings with unvarnished realities; it IS a commercial after all - and at least someone at the car company felt that addressing dementia was worthwhile, so credit for that even if it is hawking cars and a bit off. The idea of using a particular strategy to assist a LO can be valuable knowledge, but this seems gone to far in what one can expect.

If I am wrong, let me know.

Iris L.

Glen Campbell's "I'll Be Me" movie of his experience living with AD shows a realistic picture. Even though the family had financial resources and plenty of eyes on him, his caregiving was still difficult.

Iris

Correction: I posted the wrong title of his documentary, it's "I'm Not Gonna Miss You".

Iris