Care doesn’t necessarily flow in a single direction – many people rely on “care circles,” or combinations of family members, friends, neighbors AND professional care workers, where care can also be reciprocal. Like the circle of life. Literally.
Story Sparks:
- Bayani is part of a neighborhood group who delivers breakfast every day to his neighbor Victoria, who cares for her aging father. They also take turns giving her a break, so she can finish her community science turtle project.
- A group of “Sandwich gen” parents start a collective to help each other out, taking turns caring for each others’ kids and parents and jointly hiring professional care workers. Nanny-sharing is caring.
- Audra cultivates a circle of support for herself, bringing together two close friends and her cousin, who gets trained and paid through a public program to be Audra’s care provider. It’s like Friends, but with less Ross.
- Santiago’s mother Natalia has MS and they know she is going to need more support in the coming years. As a “future caregiver,” Santiago is thinking about who will be in the “care circle.” This list is more exclusive than a Real Housewife’s birthday party guest list.
- Emily is a professional care worker AND a caregiver to her aging mother Betty. While she’s at work caring for her clients, her best friend Dylan comes over to take her mother on her daily walk and make sure her meds are taken on time. They love to dish about the latest season of Love is Blind and who Emily is dating.
STORYTELLING TIP:
Showing family caregivers supporting someone at home along with paid care workers can help disrupt the false notion that professional care support is only available in institutions. Care circles can be found everywhere…there’s even one coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE!
A quick note: scenarios described here are generalized from information that Caring Across Generations has collected through focus groups, polling, and other research. They are generalized scenarios and are not any one individual’s story, and they are not meant to be comprehensive of all experiences having to do with care. This resource is intended to illuminate new storytelling opportunities that also contribute to a more authentic and holistic representation of care on screen.
