Fact Sheet

And Thou Shalt Honor… A PBS special documentary on caregiving - one of the most critical social issues facing our country. Airing October 9, 2002, 9:00 p.m. Eastern on PBS. Check local listings.

Mary Ann Nation cares for her husband, Harlan.

• FACT: 22.4 million US households are involved with family caregiving to elder relatives or friends.

• FACT: The typical family caregiver is a 46-year old woman who is employed and also spends around 18 hours per week caring for her mother who lives nearby.

• FACT: The average monthly out-of-pocket expense for a family caregiver is $171. Total un-reimbursed monthly expenses for family caregivers is $1.5 billion.

And Thou Shalt Honor… is about caring for aging parents, spouses and friends. It focuses on family members coming together, communicating, and navigating their way through the medical, financial and legal labyrinths of caregiving. Its stories portray the love, intensity, bravery, loneliness, compassion, frustration, loyalty and spiritual fulfillment of caregivers. Voices of experts and professionals provide context and commentary for the compelling real-life stories. It describes flexible workplace models for caregivers, and examines the impact of the shortage of nurses, geriatricians, and professional caregivers, as well as the unequal distribution of health services. Its stories also illustrate how individuals can become more responsible for their own wellness, practice “prevention,” and support efforts to center the current healthcare system around a patient’s and family’s needs. It is a journey towards empowerment.

This compelling documentary raises many personal and family questions:

• How will you manage when you become a family caergiver - faced with financial challenges, not enough rest and not enough help? Are you prepared?
• How will you deal with becoming a care recipient?
• What are your options? What does the future hold?

Acclaimed actor Joe Mantegna narrates And Thou Shalt Honor… His career has been recognized with a Tony award and nominations for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe. His film credits include Woody Allen’s Alice and Celebrity, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather III, and other noticeable film roles in Up Close and Personal, Eye for an Eye, and Forget Paris. He can also be recognized from the television series First Monday, where he plays a United States Supreme Court Justice.

To support and help family caregivers, And Thou Shalt Honor… features:

• Extensive nationwide community outreach, publicity and promotion
• Informative Web site containing information about the program, the outreach and the issues -- www.thoushalthonor.org
• Elaborate first-of-its-kind searchable Website - www.caregivers-usa.org
• "And Thou Shalt Honor... The CareGiver's Companion" - a book by Rodale Inc. and PREVENTION Magazine

Wiland-Bell Productions Culver Studios 9336 West Washington Blvd. Bldg. F. Culver City, CA 90232