'Once My Mother' movie: TRAILER

I truly believe everything happens for a reason.

Last night, as I met some fabulous women at a girl get together (which I almost didn't make because I had to attend to my mother's unexpected delirium, which seemed to subside, but then reared its head the next day, which resulted in an ambulance ride, 10 hours by her bedside, and a hospital admission… but that's another story), and I told one fabulous woman about my just-released book, she then told me about this wonderful new movie she'd just heard about that 'everyone' was raving about. I'd mentioned how my book dealt with caring for my mother, who has dementia and she showed me the site for this new movie which has received critical acclaim.

That movie is 'Once My Mother', and as I looked at the movie poster and heard this woman's assessment of the movie, I knew this was special.

Here is the film's synopsis, and the trailer below.

Because I truly think I was meant to share this with you so that you may also get something out of it… and see the movie.

The Story

When Australian filmmaker Sophia Turkiewicz was seven years old, her Polish mother, Helen, abandoned her in an Adelaide orphanage. Sophia never forgot this maternal act of betrayal. Now in middle age, as Sophia examines her troubled relationship with Helen, she discovers the story behind Helen’s miraculous wartime escape from a Siberian gulag, her subsequent survival against the odds and the truth about an historic betrayal involving Stalin and the Allies.

With Helen sliding into dementia, Sophia must confront her own demons. Did she ever truly know this woman who became her mother? Does she have it in her heart to forgive her? And is it too late?

'Once My Mother' bookings now open for the national cinema season from 24 July (for two weeks):

SYDNEY - Chauvel and Hayden Orpheum, Cremorne
MELBOURNE - Cinema Nova
CANBERRA - Greater Union Manuka
BRISBANE - Palace Centro
ADELAIDE - Palace Eastend
PERTH - Cinema Paradiso
NEWCASTLE - Regal

For the film's site, click here.

For the film's Facebook page, click here.

For the film's Twitter page, click here.

Radio interview : Josie Gagliano with Antonio Dottore - AUDIO CLIP

I have just appeared on Radio Italia Uno, speaking with Antonio Dottore (pictured below), speaking about my new book 'The Australian Ageing Generation Handbook' (through Jane Curry Publishing). 

Here is the interview in full. It runs for almost one hour, and it includes three songs I have chosen which mean so much to me and my mamma. (That's my favourite part - listen out for all three songs).

What an honour to have such an opportunity!

Click here to hear the whole interview. It's via DropBox - do let me know if it works for you and you can download it.

You can follow Antonio (Econ, BusModel chg, Tech commercialization, gardening, innovation; ex-PM&C, Citibank, INSEAD, Fidelity Inv, Univ of Adel; Italian CAff program Fri11am on 1629AM) on Twitter here.

Follow Radio Italia Uno on Facebook here and you can listen to the station anytime here.

'The Australian Ageing Generation Handbook' - RADIO interview with SWRFM 99.9: AUDIO

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being interviewed by radio announcer Brendan Leggett, who  heads up the 'Brendan Leggett Show' on radio station SWRFM 99.9.

Brendan had me in the studio to talk about my just-released book 'The Australian Ageing Generation Handbook'… and talk and talk I did!

We enjoyed the chat so much Brendan asked me to stay after our scheduled chat time slot was up (and in between his chat with Australian country singer Adam Harvey and his involvement in the 'Doin' It For The Troops' DVD release), to continue to chat about the role of carers, how they're acknowledged and included in my book, the perception shift that needs to happen around carers, and much more.

And, here is a link for you. You can listen to the entire interview between Brendan and I here - click here to listen.

Follow SWRFM 99.9 on Facebook here and on Twitter here, and visit their website (and listen to show live, online) here.

Experience 12 Minutes With Alzheimer's: VIDEO

Published in 2012, this video shows just what a loved one with dementia going through.

A 12 minute virtual Alzheimer's tour reveals more than you ever imagined.

It is… unbelievable. You must see it to believe it

Watch:

Does this video give you a newfound compassion for someone with dementia? It does for me...

'Alive Inside': Official Trailer

This is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen… and I have only seen the trailer.

It's a US doco called 'Alive Inside', and here is the description from the film's site:

"ALIVE INSIDE is a joyous cinematic exploration of music’s capacity to reawaken our souls and uncover the deepest parts of our humanity. Filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett chronicles the astonishing experiences of individuals around the country who have been revitalized through the simple experience of listening to music. His camera reveals the uniquely human connection we find in music and how its healing power can triumph where prescription medication falls short.

This stirring documentary follows social worker Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music & Memory, as he fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music’s ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it. Rossato-Bennett visits family members who have witnessed the miraculous effects of personalized music on their loved ones, and offers illuminating interviews with experts including renowned neurologist and best-selling author Oliver Sacks (Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain) and musician Bobby McFerrin (“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”).

An uplifting cinematic exploration of music and the mind, ALIVE INSIDE’s inspirational and emotional story left audiences humming, clapping and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award."

Watch the utterly beautiful trailer:

I talk about this doco in my new book 'The Australian Ageing Generation Handbook' and the effect of music therapy in people with dementia, and am very keen to see it when/if it is released in Australia. It releases in the US on July 18.

I think it is an important film, at the very crux of what I believe of people with dementia: there is so much life inside them - it is through our love as their carers (family or professionals) that we can help uncover that.

For more, see the film's site here.

And follow them on Facebook here.

And on Twitter here.

Alzheimer's Australia: blood test to detect Alzheimer’s disease

There are exciting new developments spearheaded by Alzheimer's Australia, and today two experts from the organisation appeared on Australian breakfast TV to explain.

Dr Chris Hatherly, National Research Manager, Alzheimer's Australia, spoke on the Today show today to discuss how a blood test to detect Alzheimer’s disease could be a reality within two years. Watch the video here.

Meanwhile, Associate Professor Michael Woodward from Alzheimer's Australia discussed the new experimental test which can predict the development of Alzheimer's disease and associated dementia, on ABC News Breakfast with Paul Kennedy and Virginia Trioli. Watch the video here.