Bioethics at the Movies, IBC47: “In the Night I Remember Your Name” and “Caregiving”
This year we feature a moving documentary called “In the Night I Remember Your Name.” This intimate documentary is the story of Pastor Joyce Speegle and her struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease, captured — at Joyce’s request — by her daughter Vicki Speegle, the writer, producer, and editor of the program. Marcia Gay Harden, an Academy Award winner, gives voice to Joyce’s thoughts. Ms. Harden’s mother also had Alzheimer’s Disease.
Joyce and Vicki Speegle (photo courtesy of Vicki Speegle)
Even as Pastor Speegle struggled to find meaning, understand her faith, and accept the losses caused by Alzheimer’s, she wanted her experience to make a difference and to help others. Currently, this film is reaching audiences as a PBS selection. It has been used to train nurses’ aides in an Alzheimer’s facility and was screened for students in Columbia University’s School of Social Work. Supported by many individuals and institutions, the film also benefited from fiscal sponsorship from From the Heart Productions, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that supports independent filmmakers.
Vicki Speegle will join us for the program and reflect on her experience as a daughter and caregiver and on making the documentary. In addition, we invite you to visit Cure Alzheimer’s.
Caregiving’s Stories: Selections from the documentary
We’ll also continue to explore the diverse stories of caregivers profiled in Caregiving, a documentary production of Lea Pictures and WETA Washington, DC (PBS station) and WellBeings.org. The program highlights the narratives of a wide range of caregivers and the people they care for every day in a variety of settings. WellBeings.org notes that “[i]n the U.S., more than 53 million family caregivers are unpaid, providing 34 billion hours of care annually, amounting to an estimated $67 billion in personal lost earnings.”
The selections we will see will include a young husband caring for his wife who suddenly needed significant, ongoing care and a teen who risked not finishing high school to earn needed income to help support his elderly father, mother, and extended family.
Estimates are that 5.4 million kids and teens in the U.S. are caregivers (WellBeings.org) as are many more young people around the world. These children often struggle to balance their education and schoolwork with caregiving duties and the financial impact of health costs. See the American Association of Caregiving Youth and KidsAreCaregiversToo.com, a platform raising awareness for youth caregivers. Additional insights into the state of caregiving may be found in Caregiving in the US 2025, a major report released by The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) (also a sponsor of the Caregiving documentary) and the AARP and by exploring the associated Caregiving in the US (CGUS) Data Hub.
Join us for these moving and inspirational stories, and for conversation to help us learn more about the challenges, complexities, and joys of caregiving.