Rohdina Harriott

UWRT 1104
February 2, 2016

Zachary Stewart 2/21/16 10:53 AM

Comment [1]: Overall I would give this
paper an A. It is very structured and
informative. The only flaws I see are the
minor ones I have listed.
Roberto Vargas 2/21/16 10:08 AM

OBSERVATION ONE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016
HBO: THE ALZHEIMERS PROJECT PART 1

I.

OBSERVATION

Comment [2]: Great job on this

assignment really enjoyed reading about
the different experiences that different
patients had along with their loved ones.

Zachary Stewart 2/21/16 10:42 AM

Comment [3]: I would have liked to know
more about what exactly alzheimers is.
Maybe some background on what it does
who it effects. And possibly like the age
groups.

Note: The documentary I am observing is 39 minutes long and I will be observing the first 25
minutes of the footage. Ive divided these times based on when the scene changes from one
individuals alzheimer's story to another. For each person in this observation, I observed the
first 6 minutes of their story, as it seemed to entail the most important details.

Background Information:
The HBO Alzheimers Project shows the effects of the disease on those with the
illness as well as how it affects their families. The project consists of a four part
documentary series, 15 short films and a campaign that serves purpose to provide
information about this devastating illness. In this specific documentary, they show the
stories of about four patients with the disease and the impact it has made on their lives.
The observation takes place in a variety of different States in the US. The recordings of
these films take place in Birchwood, Wisconsin, St. Louis, Missouri, and Oceanside,
California. All depicted in that order.

Main Actors throughout the film:

1. Bessie Knapmiller - An 87 year old female, who was diagnosed with Alz. 2
months ago. She lives alone with her dog in the home that her now deceased
husband was born in. Her memory is deteriorating at a relatively fast rate. She is
able to recognize faces but the names do not follow.

Samantha Sealey 2/21/16 5:27 AM

Comment [4]: You had good points in
your background information. Since your
topic is alzheimer's disease, it would be
wise to include what the disease is. Maybe
include causes, symptoms, or how the
disease progresses.This would be helpful
to understand what alzheimer's disease is.

Roberto Vargas 2/20/16 5:27 AM

Comment [5]: Maybe give a more
specific date to give the readers a better
understanding of when they were
diagnosed. For example you could tell
when the series was filmed.

2. Fannie Davis - 82 year old female, who was diagnosed with the illness 3 months
ago. She is a widow and in her early stage of Alzheimers. Fannie has been used
to being independent and taking care of herself practically all her life and so she
does not take the unfortunate news too well.
3. Joe Potocny- 63 year old male who was diagnosed 2 years ago. He lives with his wife and
as a way to cope with his situation he designed a blog in which he puts his thoughts,
feelings and memories every day as the illness progresses.
Artifacts: Confusion, forgetfulness, frustration- We get to see how as a result of the illness,
patients experience these three feelings the most. They get confused about what is taking place in
their surroundings, begin to forget everything that was once important to them and ultimately
frustrated at the fact that they cannot control what is happening.

The Observation

Start- 6 minutes: The scenery is of a narrow road covered with fog all around. The
Patient Bessie, is at her doctors visit and though we cannot see them yet, their voice is
audible in the background. The scene switches to the doctors office and he asks a series
of questions such as what day it is, the season and the former president. Bessie is now at
home with her dog and her daughter is visiting from next door and they have a discussion
about her taking her medication. Bessie feels the medication will not make a difference as
shes aware there is no cure and no matter what she takes, it will only progress. It is
revealed that her sister Harriet,93, also fell ill to the disease. The scene switches to
Bessies choir rehearsal where she forgets all the words to the songs.

12-18 minutes: Fannie is introduced at her home in Missouri with her daughter as they
talk about how it has affected her life. The next scene shows Fannie at the doctors office
being administered a test to see if she is still capable of driving. She is shown various
signs and asked what she would do if she encountered such signs. Fannie is then taken
outside to participate in a driving test to see how well her memory of driving is. At first
she struggles with starting the car then proceeds to driving. She demonstrated difficulties
as she was driving, she stopped when there was not a stop sign and drove into oncoming
traffic. As Fannie was driving further in the test, the instructor told her to make a right

and was highly incapable of doing so. She is in denial and is furiated at the fact that she
can no longer drive. The doctor tells her she now has to arrange to be driven everywhere
and she is more worried about losing her independence than her safety.
20- 26 minutes: Joe Is shown at home where he talks about his accomplishments in the
working field. He talked about how he helped create some of the most used and well
known items in the world today for instance, the DVD. The scene switches to him sitting
around his computer explaining what his method of coping with alz is. Joe relies on a
blog that he created, Living with Alzheimers, to basically write down how he feels day
by day and the changes that are occurring. As he writes his thoughts throughout the day,
you can see how heartbroken he is because he knows he will soon get to the point of no
return. He decided to paint his home as a project and I believe doing these things help
him find some kind of inner peace and to keep the little sanity he has left. His wife and
family are very patient with him so he is not alone though he may often feel that way. At
times he may become unintentionally rude and blunt to those around him, this is shown in
the way he sometimes speaks to his wife as well as the cameramen when he tells them, he
does not want to see their faces.

OBSERVATION 2
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015
HBO: THE ALZHEIMERS PROJECT PART 2

Note: the documentary I am observing is 44 minutes long. I will be observing the first 33
minutes of the footage. Ive divided these times based on when the scene changes from one
individuals alzheimers story to another. For each person in this observation, I observed the
first 10 minutes of their story, as it seemed to entail the most important details.

Background Information:
The HBO Alzheimers Project shows the effects of the disease on those with the
illness as well as how it affects their families. The project consists of a four part

Samantha Sealey 2/21/16 5:56 AM

Comment [6]: I really like how you
formatted your entire assignment. You
separated everything out where it was
easy to understand you observations and
topic. I like how you included background
information and actors for every
observation you did as well.

documentary series, 15 short films and a campaign that serves purpose to provide
information about this devastating illness. In this specific documentary, they show the
stories of about four patients with the disease and the impact it has made on their lives.
The scenes that I will be observing takes place in the different states in the US. The
recordings of these films take place in Rochester, Michigan, Blooming Prairie, Minnesota
and Guntersville, Alabama.

Main Actors Throughout the Film:

1. Woody Geist- 81 year old male who was diagnosed 14 years ago. Woody is
experiencing the severe stage of Alzheimers, otherwise known as the late stage.
He only recollects memories that has happened in his earlier stage of life. He now
resides in a nursing home with frequent visits from his family.
2. Josephine Mickow- 77 year old female who was diagnosed 5 years ago. Her
illness progressed at a quick rate and as a result of this she has lost almost
complete ability to make verbal communication. Josephine lives with her
daughter.
3. Cliff Holman- 79 year old male, diagnosed with Alzheimers 6 years ago. Cliff
still remains aware of certain things but typically things from a while back. He
lives with his wife at home and is taken care of by a home caregiver.

The Observation

Start- 10 minutes- Woodys story begins with his sister a record being played in the
background. We are introduced to Woodys daughter and wife talking about his life
before he fell to the illness and his love for music. Woody greatly values music. He
whistles to a song as he is shown sitting on a couch in the nursing home. The caregiver
asks questions to the patients, some who seem to be in the mid-stage of alzheimers and
other in the late stage such as Woody. An old lady cries repeatedly in the background

mumbling, I cant do this, I dont like it as she rubs her face. She is paid no attention
to as it seems it has become a norm. Woody has developed an attachment to one of the
patients in the nursing home. Her name is Kathy and they are very affection towards each
other and can be seen everywhere together. Kathy tells all the folks at the home that
Woody is her husband and he agrees. When Woodys wife and daughter come to visit,
they greet Kathy almost as if she has become family to them. They take him out to a
grunyon and during the car ride he repetitively asks the same questions. Why are we in
here? Where are we going? Will I know these people? His family has become
accustomed to behavior as they make small jokes about the issue. While Woody is at the
grunyon, they honor him on stage and he sang songs with his old companions. It is almost
intriguing to watch Woody sing the songs word for word, as the alzheimers has not yet
affected all of his long term memories.
14- 22 minutes- The scene is introduced on a vast farmland area with a soothing gust of

wind blowing in the background. Josephine is playing with a metal chain wrapped around
a gate as she hums and makes a repetitive noise. The chain is used as protective measures
so that she does not go wandering off. Her daughter is now on the scene talking about her
fears for her mother as she begins to cry. Josephine has become unaware of her
surroundings and barely withholds any recollection of any form. She mainly interacts
with object around her and communicates with herself. Before encountering alzheimers,
Josephine painted a lot and so she tends to paint over her old canvases or on rocks that
she finds. This indicates that, that part of her hasnt completely left as yet. While they are
out for a walk, her daughter picks up a small stone and shows it to her. Josephine takes
the stone and proceeds to putting it in her mouth. Her daughter tries to remain calm so
she can remove the stone from her mouth but Josephine refused and became defensive.
After it is removed, the scene switches to the kitchen where the daughter blames herself
and starts to cry. In the final scene, they go to collect the mail and Josephine tries to
wander off alone and she is quickly grabbed and directed home by the daughter.
23- 33 minutes- The scene starts with Cliff laying still in bed with an old TV show
playing on the television in the background. His wife then walks into the room and sees
him trying to get out of bed as she lays him back down and asks him to remain in bed,
although she knows it is a matter of seconds before he tries to move again. She claims the
reason for him attempting to get out of bed is a representation of knowing he has
somewhere to be. She has hired a personal home caregiver to feed, groom and wash him.
His wife states that he likes things almost as children do, such as excessively sweet and

fatty foods. As she prepares him a meal she puts a lot of butter and sugar on the food
because he wont have it any other way. A little snippet of photos is shown on the screen
of Cliff in his younger days performing in his magic shows for children. Following this
scene he begins to talk to himself and says, I got to do a show tonight, 6:00 or lets see
6:30 and I gotta make all kitties disappear. He still continues to talk about the show
which demonstrates how great of an impact it had on his life. When he is removed from
his bed and taken into the living room, he asks his wife to get him his yellow paper and
his book, which were things he used prior to his shows. This aspect of his memory
remains unaffected. In order to get him to stop speaking about it, his wife makes someone
call the house phone to say it has been cancelled and she delivers the message to him.

OBSERVATION 3
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2015
HBO: THE ALZHEIMERS PROJECT- THE CHILDREN

Note: The video is 30 minutes long and I will be observing the entire footage as this is filmed
slightly different from the two previous observations. There are 3 lessons given throughout the
film. The times will be broken down based on when each new lesson begins.

Background Information:
This aspect of the projects does not necessarily focus on the lives of those with
Alzheimers and how it affects them, rather, how it affects the lives of their
grandchildren. The children are introduced and each share a very brief summary of their
situation. It ultimately serves purpose to help the children become more aware of what is
happening to their grandparents and why it is happening.

Main Actors Throughout the Film:

Roberto Vargas 2/21/16 10:02 AM

Comment [7]: I really enjoyed reading
your assignment. Especially since I have a
grandmother with dementia. A lot of the
experiences from all the observations
were very familiar, and its a very
devastating thing to watch happen to
someone.

1. Maria Shriver age 61- The author of the book What is happening to my grandpa
is the narrator of this documentary. Her father fell ill to alzheimers and so she
decided to create a film that are victims of grandparents with the disease. She
gives commentary throughout the film and lessons to help the children with their
concerns.
2. Saralyn, age 8- I remember my grandmother a lot before she got Alzheimers
disease, when she could speak, when she could walk and when she could hug me.
3. Hayley, age 7- My grandpa Brooks is really great and he loves children.
Sometimes he does remember my name, sometimes he doesnt.
4. Genevieve, age 13- It seems like he was really sympathetic and understood that
we really needed him to talk to us about it.
5. Margaret, age 10 (Genevieves sister)- It makes us nervous when we think about
our grandpa and all the alzheimers things that could happen. He won't even
remember me, so it will be like Im a stranger.
6. Liam, age 8 (Genevieve and Margarets brother)- Once he realy forgets us, I
think well be really really sad but for now were worried about him but were not
too sad.
7. Drew, age 12- I used to think it was somehow my fault but now I know I just
think its something that happens and its just mutations in the genes or
something.
8. Daylen, age 7- I have a grandfather that has alzheimers. Its a sickness that
makes the person thats got it not remember things.

The Observation

Samantha Sealey 2/21/16 6:33 AM

Comment [8]: Well written observations.
Maybe try to expand on this observations
to about one page in length. To do this,
you could watch more of the documentary
to expand it more.

2- 8 mins - Genevieve sits on a park bench watching a kite fly with her grandfather. She
questions him about whether or not he will forget her one moment and then remember her the
next and then ultimately forgets her completely. In a saddened but soothing voice he tells her, I
would want to not ever have that happen but if I do forget you, i probably will never remember
you again. Genevieve looks to be hurt but rather understanding by what he has said. They are
joined by the other 2 grandchildren and his wife as they move to a picnic table and they ask him
questions as well. At one point he is asked if he remembers their mothers name and he jokingly
says, mother. When they realized he could not remember the name, they helped him out. Maria
Shriver begins her commentary on the first lesson and says she believes that the more families sit
down and have open discussions about the situation, the easier it is to cope.

II. The Interview

I conducted my interview on one of my fellow classmates, Roberto Vargas, 18 years old

and attends the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.
1. What was it like or how did you react when you found out your grandmother was
diagnosed with Alzheimers?
Um, I mean I didnt have a reaction because I didnt really know what alzheimers
was until I got older.
2. How old were you when you found out she has Alzheimers? Did you have any
knowledge on what that was?
I was around 9 or 10 and at the time, I was young so I didn't really know what that
meant.
3. Do you remember anything specific that she did as a result of the illness?

Zachary Stewart 2/21/16 10:51 AM

Comment [9]: I really like how you add
background information on the people. But
this observation seems pretty short.
Maybe try to add more observation points.

Samantha Sealey 2/21/16 6:00 AM

Comment [10]: Really liked you
interview questions. I also liked how the
person you interviewed had personal
experience with someone with alzheimer's.
This really gave insight into how this
disease progresses and what happens
when people have alzheimer's.
Zachary Stewart 2/21/16 10:48 AM
Comment [11]: I would have liked to
know more back ground information on
your interviewee. Perhaps why you chose
him. Or what made him the perfect
candidate.

She would always lose her purse. Always. Once she lost her purse and it took us about
2 months to find it
4. Do you have memories of how she was prior to being diagnosed with the illness?
She would always cook and she would cook the best food ever and she was nice. But
what I remember most was her cooking because it was always on point.
5. If at all, how has it affected your relationship with her?
Now I feel like we dont talk much because she forgets everything so the illness has
inhibited us from getting closer.

III. Analyze
Dealing with a patient that suffers from alzheimers can be extremely challenging,
frustrating for some and emotional depending on your relationship with the individual. It requires
a great deal of patience and time. One rule for dealing with a patient with alzheimers is to
refrain from ignoring them. Though at times their repetitive questions can become a nuisance,
avoid shutting them out. Its perfectly okay to interact with them even though theyll soon forget
again, you should try to treat them as if theyre another colleague and not just a person with the
illness. Try not to question them or quiz them about things in hopes that they remember. Asking
a variety of questions will only cause them more anxiety. Trying to make them remember
everything longer only adds stress to their minds and is in no way beneficial to them. They have
the disease and it will progress regardless of what is done so in a sense this is only benefiting
you. A part of you doesnt want to let that person go so you take the extra measures to slow the
progression, the quicker you accept it the better it is. Another way to deal is by going with the
flow of what is being said. Patients with alzheimers tend to have poor judgement about their
surroundings, so if they insist on calling a tree, a building just go with the flow. By correcting
them, it isnt helping the situation but you could always try to see things in their perspective and
make conversation from there. As it worsens they will need to be under full care, as theyll often
misplace valuable things, wander around the neighborhood, attempt to drive even when theyve
lost that ability to and eventually unable to take care of themselves, physically.
Alzheimers patients and need for attention
Alzheimers patients and repetitive questions
Misunderstandings of their surroundings and what goes on

Search Terms
Impact of alzheimers on the memory aspect of the brain (hippocampus)
Alzheimer patients inability to care for themselves
Alzheimers impact on interpreted information

IV.

Search Times

Sources

Impact of Alzheimers on the

hippocampus

1. Schuff, N., N. Woerner, L. Boreta,

T. Kornfield, L. M. Shaw, J. Q.
Trojanowski, P. M. Thompson, C.
R. Jack, and M. W. Weiner. "MRI
of Hippocampal Volume Loss in
Early Alzheimer's Disease in
Relation to ApoE Genotype and
Biomarkers." Brain 132.4 (2008):
1067-077. Web. 09 Feb. 2016.
2. Samuel, W., E. Masliah, L. R. Hill,
N. Butters, and R. Terry.
"Hippocampal Connectivity and
Alzheimer's Dementia: Effects of
Synapse Loss and Tangle
Frequency in a Two-component
Model." Neurology 44.11 (1994):
2081. Web. 09 Feb. 2016.

Alzheimers patients inability to care for

themselves

1. Barnes, R. F., Raskind, M. A.,

Scott, M. and Murphy, C. (1981),
Problems of Families Caring for
Alzheimer Patients: Use of a
Support Group. Journal of the
American Geriatrics Society, 29:
8085. doi: 10.1111/j.15325415.1981.tb01233.x

Alzheimers impact on interpreted

information

Samantha Sealey 2/21/16 6:09 AM

Comment [12]: You have chosen really
good search terms for alzheimer's
disease. The requirement of sources
needed are 4, you only have 3. This is
okay, you just need find one more source
to meet the requirement. Good work
though!

V. Propose
In the past years, Alzheimers has made a drastic increase in the lives of people worldwide.
There is no cure so patients rely on medication to slow its progress. In each of the videos, as it
shows how individuals live and cope with alzheimers, we get more of an insight on the negative
impact it places on a person. For every patient, something new is learned and helps those around
them better understand the illness. Throughout the research we learn more about its stages of
progression and their severity. I am interested in its developing process and the contributing
factors of someone becoming a victim of alzheimers. This paper will continue to explore the
way patients live as a result and the effect of alzheimers on not the entirety of the brain but
rather the part that processes information.

Zachary Stewart 2/21/16 10:45 AM

Comment [13]: Overall I like the
thoroughness of your paper. It is quality
paper in my eyes. Good job!