It’s Not a Burden: The Humor and Heartache of Raising Elderly Parents (2021)

Synopsis

They spent much of their lives taking care of us, now it’s our turn. Filmmaker Michelle Boyaner shares her complex and devastatingly tender journey caring for her long-divorced aging parents — her mother Elaine, who abandoned the family and left then 19-year-old Michelle to help raise her 5 younger siblings and is now faced with dementia, and her father Morris, once a brilliant Aerospace Engineer and now a hoarder unable to navigate his own world. A diverse mix of other families are woven in, each with their own unique challenges. You’ll meet Esther, an entertainer whose daughters bring love and laughter to her last act, and Mike, who helps his mother Florence while raising teenagers as a single father. With humor and heart, the film explores not only the frustrations and fears, but also the transformative bonds that happen when familial roles are reversed. Is it a burden or a blessing? Maybe a little of both.

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