Living with Herbie is an excellent film about taking care of an 84-year old dementia parent.

Filmmaker Julie Winokur and her husband Ed Kashi, a photojournalist, put the powerful work of art together showcasing what taking care of the elderly is really all about, up close.

Along with their two young children, they are experiencing the sacrifice, honesty and patience required, and in my opinion, often go beyond duty.

Here are some of my most favorite quotes.

"There are so many times I think I can't handle this."

"You have to look at care giving as a marathon, not a sprint."

"Every single day I watch him slip away a little more."

"I think the kids are better than the medication he's on."

I love this family.  They're real, genuine, and committed.  This is what being a family is all about. 

And sometimes it is important to simply put into words what most caregivers are really thinking, which is what they do so well in this film.  For example, Julie had to miss one of Eli's baseball games in order  to take care of her Dad, and the disappointment was very hard to watch.  But her  good attitude was so inspiring to me.

Julie says, "We were never prepared for any of this.  Will we come through?  Yes. We'll figure it out."

She goes on to say, " We've made our decision to take care of him and we'll see it through to the end."

Take a few minutes to watch this film which is located on  the AARP website.  I guarantee you will be immediately mesmerized  and you'll probably find yourself watching it several times over.

Watch Living With Herbie  

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