The Genius of Caring is a web based interactive story sharing project that features documentary portraits of those whose lives have been touched by Alzheimer’s and other caregiving intensive diseases. The site also allows users to contribute to our story archive, the Care Gallery. The project offers a uniquely intimate glimpse into the caregiving experience and creates an intimate portrait of a community connected through compassion.
Alzheimer’s is often a long and isolating disease process. And for the more than 15 million caregivers who support loved ones with the disease, the isolation can be debilitating. The Genius of Caring is designed to support caregivers and to provide students, healthcare professionals and others with a glimpse into the caregiving experience.
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts Art Works and through the generous support of these organizations: Sundance Institute, The Fledgling Fund, Home Instead Senior Care, San Francisco Film Society, the Dolby family, Abigail Disney and private donors.
What is The Genius of Caring?
A web-based public art project designed to capture the complex emotional experience of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s and other care intensive neurodegenerative diseases.
What is the goal?
The Genius of Caring is designed to support caregivers and to provide students, healthcare professionals and others with a glimpse into the caregiving experience.
Community engagement creates the opportunity to both learn from and contribute to important conversations about Alzheimer’s and caregiving.
What is the Care Gallery?
A space to share your personal experiences with Alzheimer’s and related dementias, by contributing stories and photos and engaging with the experiences of others.
How Do I Make My Photos Look Best?
The window in which your photo will appear is landscape orientation, 600 pixels wide by 400 pixels high.
If you are uploading a photo that is larger than that size, your image will be cropped.
If you are uploading a photo that is in portrait orientation, parts of your image will be cropped, so make sure to choose photos in which the important elements can be easily isolated in a 400 X 300 pixel frame.
If you are uploading a very small image, the resolution may appear pixelated or blurry.
How Can I Change My Privacy Settings?
Currently, your story and profile are visible to the public once saved to the Care Gallery. In the next phase of the project, you will be able to set your account to private, so only you will see your story.
How Can I Change My Password?
There is a password reset form on the settings page.
How Else Can I Contribute?
We are so pleased to share the Genius of Caring with you, but we still have five additional caregiver portraits to produce and release over the coming months.
Please visit our Kickstarter page to find out how you can help!
- 24-Hour Helpline: Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline provides reliable information and support to all those who need assistance. 1.800.272.3900.
- Information for Caregivers
You are not alone. Information about early-stage, middle-stage, and late-stage caregiving.
- Planning Your Doctor Visit
Unfortunately, talking with your loved one’s doctor isn’t always easy. A good patient-doctor relationship is a partnership. You and your doctor can work as a team.
- Medicare Cost Overview
Plan your healthcare costs and learn what Medicare covers.
- Dementia Support Network
Sometimes it helps to hear from others who have dealt with a situation just like yours. Get tips and advice from experts and other caregivers.
- Find an in-person support group in your area
Connect with other caregivers near you. Support groups are facilitated by trained individuals.
- Caregiving strategies
Caregiving can be challenging. Get free family caregiver training online or in person.
- Family Caregiver Alliance
National organization providing information, services and advocacy for caregivers.
- Online support groups
Get the support you need from the comfort of your home.
- Conversation Starter Kit
Have you had the Conversation? Have you talked to your loved ones about their wishes for end of life care? The Conversation Project has developed a Conversation Starter Kit as a useful tool to help people have conversations with their family members or other loved ones about their wishes regarding end-of-life care.
This project is part of a robust community engagement campaign and public art project that grew out of the documentary film
The Genius of Marian.
The campaign is comprised of an innovative online story project, education curriculums and community screening series. These programs and materials will provide people the opportunity to learn from and participate in important conversations about caregiving and Alzheimer’s and other related dementias. If you are interested in learning more about how to host a screening of The Genius of Marian, please contact us at info@GeniusofMarian.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Banker White
DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER: Anna Fitch
CAMPAIGN PRODUCER: Chris Riley
STORY CONSULTANT: Sarah Kramer
CAMERA: Banker White
EDITOR: Banker White
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Sam Clevenger
ORIGINAL SCORE: Tyler Strickland
STILL PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: Elinor Carucci
INTERACTIVE PRODUCER: Nicole Sorochan, One Net Marketing
INTERACTIVE DESIGN: Bela Spoher, protrigga.com
INTERACTIVE DESIGN: Corbin Ching, One Net Marketing
INTERACTIVE DEVELOPER: Charles Neigum, One Net Marketing
