#6 This Caregiver's Watchlist: 'Bringing Light to Alzheimer's Care'

Film Documentaries and Interviews. Lauren Miller Rogen and Seth Rogen

This is the sixth Watchlist article within the ComfortZone section of the Carer Mentor Website. I’m building the Carer Mentor Website to be our dynamic Go-To Resource.

When you have limited energy and time, I hope Carer Mentor can offer you heartfelt empathy and comfort alongside the wealth of resources/insights. You can read more about why I’m publishing Carer Mentor here: Who Started Carer Mentor and Why?’

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Hello Dear Friends,

It’s Poetry Month in the US, so I thought I’d share a poem I wrote in the thick, toughest months of caring for Dad.

A Hard Exhale to Me

The adrenalin burns Hard, the condensed coals tough fractured, 
spitting the dense emotion 
jagged crystals splinter from the outer shell.
The crack, breaking, opens a fissure to vent—Shell split.
The soft embers fizzle with a gasp—release
And breath to a mist, embers
of warm relief. Exhale. Emerging
smoky white light tendrils
from the dark to air
escape, free
Safe.
To Me.

To Me.
Safe, escape from the dark. White-light, 
Exhale. 
And breath, with a gasp, opens. Splinter the dense emotion. 
Hard.

Hard, exhale. To Me

This shares the paradoxical essence I found in the toughest, most emotional parts of caregiving, which brought me back to myself.

This is NOT about silver linings or toxic positivity (UGGHH!). I will never belittle how raw and painful things have been. However, the topsy-turvy reality is that I found/better understood myself by digging deep and through. This poem is the insight arc of This Caregiver’s Watchlist article.

This watchlist may be too close to the bone for some readers.

It shares videos about Dementia and Alzheimer’s, raising awareness of the impact on caregivers and how early, ‘early’ onset Alzheimer’s can be.

You are not alone.

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Table of Contents

1. The Taking Care Documentary by James Keach

2. Personal Note by Victoria

3. Hilarity for Charity by Lauren Miller Rogen & Seth Rogen

4. Extreme Love: Dementia, a documentary by Louis Theroux and Dementia, the unforgettable impact on caregivers.

5. Why Caring For Yourself Is The Best Thing To Do As a Caretaker IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson with Lauren Miller Rogen & Seth Rogen. March 19, 2025

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1. “Taking Care” The Legacies We’ll Accept and Those We Won’t

Directed and produced by award-winning filmmaker James Keach, Taking Care is a 38-minute documentary following the journey of acclaimed filmmakers Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen as they navigate the complexities and heartbreak of Lauren’s mother’s advancing Alzheimer’s disease. Through humor, heart, and an unwavering commitment to change, Taking Care imparts a message of hope, resilience, and the profound impact individuals can have when they seek solutions to society’s greatest challenges.

Taking Care - Official Trailer

Now streaming on FUSE+, Amazon, Apple TV+, and Google Play.

2. Personal note by Victoria

I recommend watching the full documentary. It’s heartbreaking, so real and the last portion about caregivers struck close to home for me.

While my Dad had vascular dementia, not Alzheimers the images of what these caregivers go through transported me back to the last 6-8 months of caring for Dad.

The emotional rollercoaster, physical and mental experience is overwhelming.

In the ‘Taking Care’ documentary I appreciated their messages around actions that are within our control to try to reduce our risk of Dementia.

No clichés, lectures or promotions, simply suggesting there are some things in our control, we can do.

The main messages I took away were

• to share the realities of Dementia with younger generations, for the sake of their health

• increase everyone’s deeper understanding about caregiving, beyond the veneer

• expand and amplify the realities/impact of Dementia particularly on caregivers who need much more support,

• be proactive about our health choices.

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3. Lauren Miller Rogen & Seth Rogen¹ founded Hilarity for Charity

“Bringing Light to Alzheimer’s”

Hilarity for Charity (HFC) is a national non-profit on a mission to care for families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease, activate the next generation of Alzheimer’s advocates, and be a leader in brain health research and education.

The Hilarity for Charity Event is streaming on Netflix.

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4 Extreme Love: dementia a documentary by Louis Theroux and Dementia, the unforgettable impact on caregivers.

A link to ‘Extreme Love: Dementia’ a documentary by Louis Theroux is in the article below.

It’s a tough watch, especially the behaviour of advanced dementia sufferers.

If the documentaries or this information has affected you in anyway please reach out to others for support. There are links to trained experts and organisations in the article.

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5. SETH & LAUREN ROGEN — Why Caring For Yourself Is The Best Thing To Do As a Caretaker IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson Full Episodes Mar 19, 2025

Filmmakers Seth and Lauren Rogen join the show to answer a listener’s question about family upheaval caused by caring for an aging parent. Seth and Lauren open up about caring for Lauren’s mother after she received an early Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and Michelle and Craig share stories about the family caretaking that shaped their childhoods. Also find out how new hobbies and ceramic bongs could help you stay sharp as you age.

[00:00] - Introduction

[00:50] - The Robinson's Personal Connect to Alzheimers

[08:00] - Introducing Seth and Lauren Rogen

[10:00] - The Rogens’ Personal Connection to Alzheimer’s

[12:00] - Animation as a Medium for Storytelling

[16:00] - The Emotional Weight of the Project

[20:00] - The Stigma of Alzheimer’s

[24:00] - Raising Awareness Through Storytelling

[28:00] - Lauren’s Journey as a Caregiver

[32:00] - The Importance of Early Detection

[36:00] - Seth’s Perspective on Supporting a Loved One

[40:00] - Advice for Families Dealing with Alzheimer’s

[44:00] - Closing Thoughts & Call to Action

Victoria’s comment: [FYI I’m not a huge fan of the word ‘care taker’² ]

When Lauren shares her perspective at 40:00 minutes, I appreciate how she treads carefully into the crux of the conversation—expectations of parents and adult children, of themselves and each other, and giving advice (always difficult if you want to avoid ‘telling’ or ‘lecturing.’

THIS was the part I was particularly intrigued to hear. Have a listen and let me know your thoughts.

Lauren was 20 when her Mother was diagnosed with Alzheimers. She says her Mother ‘was not scared for herself she was scared for us.’ and ‘I was not to give up what I was becoming in my early 20s to take care of her.’

In my view, not everyone feels they have a choice and some people can find themselves ‘sleepwalking’ into becoming a caregiver, regardless of age.

As a stubbornly independent person I had to be 100% clear that caregiving was my head-heart-gut aligned choice, but also that it doesn’t consume 100% of me. I’ve been very proactive in defining what ‘taking care of myself’ and ‘success’ means. I’ll share more about how I’ve done that within my articles.

Lauren and Seth are raising awareness so that others will reach out, connect and find resources. In the US, they highlight ‘Care navigators’ that can help caregivers of Alzheimer’s sufferers get support. Here’s a link to the Hilarity for Charity Caregiver Resources.

If I need to know anything about Dementia Caregiving I go to my friend

Jodi Sh. Doff

publication ‘The Long Goodbye: Dementia Caregiving where she’s curated her list of Caregiver’s Dementia Resources and provided a list of Dementia related publications.

“I’m a sixty-something, single, childless, sober writer who’s spent years writing about sex, drugs, and drunkenness. Shortly after turning thirty-three I got sober. I taught creative nonfiction while working full time in a nonprofit and caregiving my elderly mother as she skidded down the road to from mild cognitive impairment to full-blown dementia.”

read more about Jodi here

There is heartfelt hilarity, light with dark, hefty reality and fabulous attitude, in Jodi’s writing. Love pours out of the photos, videos and giggles with her mother. Go take a peek, if you haven’t already!

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A final word..

I hope we can be light-makers and light givers for each other in the Carer Mentor community, whether that’s through humour or insights, or both!

Even if you’re in the dark, reach out, tag someone in, dark humour, giggles or simple resonance can make things lighter. Together. Community.

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Thank you!

1. From the Hilarity for Charity Website:

Lauren Miller Rogen is a screenwriter, director, producer, and philanthropist, whose life has been touched many times over by Alzheimer’s. In 2012—when Lauren’s mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at just 55 years old— Lauren, still in her twenties, co-founded HFC to activate the next generation of Alzheimer’s advocates.

Since then, Lauren and the HFC team have brought significant awareness to Alzheimer’s, raising millions of dollars to award free, quality in-home care to families in need of respite and support - all while using humor and hope to engage people. Her dedication to sharing her personal story and using humor as a form of advocacy has left an indelible impact on the Alzheimer’s space.

Since 2013, Lauren has served as the Alzheimer’s patient advocate on the board of California’s Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). She also sits on the California Alzheimer’s Task Force and the Steering Committee of the Milken Institute’s Alliance to Improve Dementia Care. In 2012, Lauren starred in, co-wrote, and produced the film For A Good Time Call, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. She made her feature-length directorial debut in 2018 with the “dramedy” Like Father, a film she wrote and which starred Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer.

If there is one thing Lauren wants people to remember, it’s that Alzheimer’s doesn’t have to be sad or scary when you’re fighting against it. You can come to an HFC event and have fun, but also do something for Alzheimer’s.

Seth Rogen is an actor, writer, producer, director, entrepreneur and philanthropist whose films and TV projects have had an impressive impact on popular culture and box office returns. As an actor, his films have grossed over $930 million worldwide and as a filmmaker, his global box office success exceeds $850 million. Alongside longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg, Rogen produces film and television projects through their production company, Point Grey Pictures. Seth is also a co-founder and board member of HFC, a leading national advocate dedicated to raising awareness, inspiring change, and accelerating progress in Alzheimer’s care, research, and support.

2. I interpret the word ‘Caretaker’ as a functional role overseeing care with ‘clinical detachment’ or distance. Based on my experience and any other family caregiver, I’ve connected with, there is always some hands on care and seismic emotions. For those caring at a geographic distance there can be even more emotional stress and frustration, because they’re physically incapable of giving hands on care.

Caregiver, Caretaker, Carer, or Care Partner: What’s the Difference? By Dr Aaron Blight October 14, 2024. Dr Blight in his LinkedIn profile says ‘In addition to my full-time academic post, I speak to groups everywhere about the social dynamics of caregiving. My clients are family and professional caregivers. I've created an array of resources to help family caregivers and the professionals who support them.
When I'm not talking about caregiving, I teach public health classes to undergraduate students. My experience in health administration and policy allows me to wear a "scholar-practitioner" hat on campus.
My career has been spent in government, business, and academia. Nowadays my work is no longer a job; my focus is on making a difference.”