This documentary follows the lives of Seval, Louise, Mariska, Piet, Elly and Marloes as they care for a loved one. They battle with the question of whether they will ever get their own lives back; the care takes an increasing toll on them.
The Netherlands has more than five million informal caregivers and this number will only increase in the future. Whether we like it or not, informal care is the cornerstone of our health care system. For the six-part documentary series Kanaal Sociaal, directors Nelleke Koop and Stephane Kaas spent more than a year settling in Deventer, with its diverse population. They follow the lives of six citizens of Deventer who are caring for a loved one.
Seval, Louise, Mariska, Piet, Elly and Marloes exert themselves nonstop for their loved ones. They struggle with the question of whether they will ever get their own lives back; the care takes an increasing toll on them. Chances are that everyone, like them, will become a caregiver at some point in their lives. Are we ready for that?
Episode 1: I can't do this aloneDrastic policy changes are making family caregivers the pillars of our health care system today. In the first episode of Kanaal Sociaal, we get to know six informal caregivers in Deventer who care for a loved one.
But how do these caregivers cope, do they survive? It is survival mode according to Louise who cares for her son Mees and struggles with the question of whether she will ever get her own life back. Caregiving is taking an increasing toll on them.
Episode 2: In the Jungle of Healthcare.To make sure her husband John gets the right medication, Mariska calls back and forth between different health care agencies. Each time, she is put on hold. While Piet has to guide his wife Cora to the bathroom at home, he too gets entangled in phone calls where he can't get the right person on the line. For Louise, the administrative workload comes on top of taking care of her son Mees and now also her husband Bert.
How do you arrange that care? Where do you find help? Milja from the social team tries to guide family caregivers, but the route to appropriate care in the jungle of regulations and protocols is not easy.
Episode 3: HeadachesIn addition to all the practical care, there are also painful dilemmas in which informal caregivers feel they are on a lonely existence. Seval wants to share her grief with her family, because all the years of caring for her mother and brother with psychoses hurt. Louise hopes for the very best care for her son Mees, but runs up against the limitations of what health care providers can offer. Elly doesn't want to live separately from her husband René, but her own heart problems mean she can't really sustain the care anymore. Which choice is the right one?
Episode 4: Partner or staff?Marloes cares for her wife Marleen (and now her mother-in-law) in addition to her busy job. Despite everything, they find a loving balance in their relationship. For Mariska, caring for her husband and her children after all the stress from the hospital tests is now really becoming too much. Eighteen-year-old Melinda has been caring for her mother for years, and as with Frany, who cares for her father, the image of having to be a mother to their parents comes to mind.
How do you maintain your relationship, how do you remain a partner, a mother or daughter in addition to the role of caregiver?
Episode 5: Out of LovePiet is with his wife Cora at the campground they've come to all their lives. However, it's not a vacation for Piet. When will his limit be hit? Seval takes an important step to stop hiding the pain of her family story. And René is really moving to the nursing home now, worrying about his wife Elly. Who will take care of her, now that she will live at home alone from now on?
For love, you can give a lot of care, always pushing the limits. A family caregiver cannot give up, because when you give up you are letting a loved one down. How long can that be managed? Who takes care of the family caregiver?
Episode 6: CarefreeLouise takes steps with her family for Mees' future. Mariska tries to get back to work after a conversation with her supervisor, and Marloes gets hope when her mother-in-law gets a positive result from the hospital.
People are connected to and dependent on each other; no one needs no one. In the future, almost everyone will become a caregiver and we will have to look at care differently. How will we face that future carefree?
