News

The Hidden Worlds of Caring and Serious Illness

Three new short films entitled “At Home with Illness” have been launched to mark Carers Week 2014. The gritty films take an unflinching look at what happens when serious illness arrives in a family.

Although this situation affects thousands in Scotland the lives of people who are seriously ill are largely hidden, and so too are the sometimes harsh realities of those who care for them. 1 in 8 of the Scottish population are involved in providing care and support to a family member. Around 40, 000 people each year in Scotland will die after a period of protracted illness.

Filmed intimately at home, three very different families tell their own powerful and individual stories of love, loss, crisis, tears, hope and laughter. One of the 3 films, “The Long Goodbye” has already become a word-of-mouth success on YouTube. All three films have been commissioned by a consortium of national charities, led by the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care (SPPC).

Mark Hazelwood, Chief Executive of SPPC, said:

“We wanted to lift the lid on a hidden world – the world of families living with serious illness. This is a world in which thousands of Scottish families exist, yet their experiences are seldom seen or heard. This leaves society ill-equipped to support others and ill-prepared should the same situation affect us. The films allow the families to tell it how it is, and there are lessons for everyone in the stories they tell.”

Organisations involved in the commissioning of the films include: Marie Curie Cancer Care, MND Scotland, MS Society Scotland, MSA Trust, Parkinson’s UK and PSP Association.

The films can be viewed here: At home with illness