From Nine to Ninety
From Nine to Ninety deals with a common family situation in the United States—providing care for older adults within a multigenerational household setting. It focuses on a single family that shares the common challenges faced by many other families that currently struggle with adult caregiving. The primary caregivers, for example, are middle-aged daughters who provide care for their parents. The reasons for care arise from problems associated with “old age.” Their care scenario has become increasingly stressful, an experience reported by one third of the 50 million primary caregivers in this situation ( Caregiving in the U.S., 2009 ). The film is unique in its treatment of this normative family crisis. It is a film of uncommon intimacy, allowing us to view in close quarter the shared rewards and daily hassles of family members who truly love one another. Most significant, it documents the transition of caregiving into its final phase—“the end-of-life scenario.” Few other films do so.