“And Thou Shalt Honor” examines the various aspects of caregiving in a warm and
caring documentary coming to PBS stations in October 2002. Check your local TV listings to
find out when it will be broadcast in your area.
And Thou Shalt Honor
documents an exciting new stage in our cultural development. While the huge increase in
the number of caregivers in our society can be said to be a result of the success of
medical technology, it also represents a breakthrough in our growth as an extended family.
During the second half of
the 20th Century, advances in medical technology made it possible for individuals to
survive for years with chronic conditions that would have meant a rapid death just a few
years before. Though laudable, this created a new population of persons in need of
caregiving… and… a new population of caregivers.
Many, if not most, of us
will be both in our lifetimes – caregiver and the cared-for. We may slip into these
roles so gradually that we scarcely realize it. Or, as the social scientists say, we may
not self-identify.
The program is already
being hailed as a landmark by Edwin Mendez-Santiago, Commissioner, New York City
Department for the Aging. “The rise in the number of individuals caring for the
elders in their family…allows us to restate in very concrete terms just what we mean
to each other…. And Thou Shalt Honor, approaches this issue in a comprehensive
manner, sensitively framing concerns, hopes and dreams of the care recipients as well as
those who provide the care.”
James K. Hahn, Mayor, City
of Los Angeles, also offers high praise for this PBS program. “ Caregiving in formal
and informal settings determines the quality of life for individuals as well as the
integrity of our communities…I lend my support to the PBS Project on CareGiving, And
Thou Shalt Honor. This project will create nationwide attention and result in improvement
of the quality of life for millions of Americans.
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