"CAREGIVING" - THE DOCUMENTARY

My thoughts on the 2025 PBS Feature

THE CAREGIVING DOCUMENTARY

2025 PBS Documentary

Narrator – Uzo Aduba

Executive Producer – Bradley Cooper

(Links to watch the Documentary provided below)

The documentary provides a historical view on Caregiving in the United States. Beginning before the Depression, the viewer is given a quick yet comprehensive summary of every Administration’s action or in-action regarding the Care Crisis.

And throughout the feature, the situation of providing care for families is referred to as a ‘Crisis.’

It is the story of how we got to where we are today with regard to Caregiving. It is very educational giving glimpses into American history that are not covered in the classroom.

Woven into the snapshots of history are stories of actual caregivers. People who are providing care for loved ones today shared their heroic stories. It’s funny when I had the opportunity to look into the lives of the Caregiver’s profiled, I did think of them as heroes. I was in complete awe of their strength and compassion.

And I kept thinking, “I’m not sure that I could do that.”

It wasn’t until the end of the documentary that I realized, “I am doing that.”

Every Caregiving situation is different yet somehow very much the same. There is obviously a Need for Care. And then for a variety of reasons, a Family member is the person providing that Care. The needs are different, the reasons are different, but the act of Caregiving is the same.

Although not explored in this documentary, I believe that some of the same feelings that are expressed here in “A Caregivers Conscience” are contained in the consciences of those Caregivers. The Caregiver’s profiled all expressed the love that they feel for the Family members for whom they are caring. There was no focus on the other feelings; thus, their heroic actions came shining through. They were Caregiving with a smile, a heart full of love and although things were difficult, not complaining.

To me, that is heroic because I live the truth, and I know that it is not easy.

The 2-hour documentary outlined the bills which were designed to help provide care for the American family.

• Universal Child Care (Comprehensive Child Development Act of 1971)

• Medicare (1965)

• Medicaid (1965)

• Americans with Disabilities (1990)

• Family and Medical Unpaid Leave (1993)

• Affordable Care (2010)

• Paid Family Medical Leave

The challenge is that each and every Act/Bill/Program designed to aid Americans in providing care for their Families faced numerous compromises to eventually be passed or wasn’t passed into law at all. There is no bill providing for Universal Child Care and ‘Paid Family and Medical Leave’ is currently left to the individual States.

TODAY…

10 States compensate Family Caregivers

13 States offer Paid Family Medical Leave

There are 50 States in the United States.

The Documentary, “Caregiving,” provided a historical flashback of the U.S. because ‘Care’ or lack thereof has seemingly been a problem for the past century. It seems that America has had 100 years and there is still a Caregiving Crisis.

I was angry while I learned about the missed opportunities that the United States Government had to change things or at least make a difference.

I cried watching the stories of the Caregivers who somehow seemed to have mastered the Art of Caregiving despite the heartache and pain.

I took notes because I knew that I wanted to Tell the Others.

WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY

CAREGIVING - THE PBS DOCUMENTARY