Danish filmmaker Louise Detlefsen champions one dementia care nursing home’s compassionate treatment and mindful living philosophy in her new feature documentary, It Is Not Over Yet. A moving and thoughtful piece, Detlefsen captures day-to-day life at Dagmarsminde in an immersive and respectful manner that affirms the importance of active engagement and kindness in nursing home care. It Is Not Over Yet makes its world premiere at this year’s digital Hot Docs Festival, which runs April 29 to May 9.
Certified nurse May Bjerre Eiby founded Dagmarsminde with a determination to affect positive, lasting change in the healthcare system’s treatment of the elderly and those living with dementia. Bjerre Eiby gained firsthand knowledge of the system’s failure to protect and properly care for their charges through her experiences working in the industry and losing her father to neglect at a nursing home. Inspired by Florence Nightingale and Danish philosopher Løgstrup, Bjerre Eiby created Dagmasrminde as a holistic and compassion-centric alternative for dementia care, successfully eliminating the use of anti-psychotic medicines and sedatives often overused in other dementia home facilities.
Situated in the countryside, Bjerre Eiby and her dedicated nursing home team comprised mostly of women actively engage with residents using conversation, touch, and humour to strengthen emotional connections and instil joy. Nature also plays an important role in the residents’ lives. They go for walks, hug trees, relax outdoors by an open fire, and check out the chicken coop on site. A calm golden retriever and an orange cat also live at the home, their presence offering further comfort and emotional connection. The staff serve cake and afternoon coffee, celebrate residents’ birthdays and anniversaries with champagne, and decorate the spacious, clean and bright living space with fresh flowers. They use china cups and furnish the home in a modern and simplistic but uplifting and beautiful fashion. When a resident dies, the staff lower the outdoor flag to half mast and lead the residents in farewell song.
Detlefsen intimately captures the gentle but lively and encouraging atmosphere at Dagmarsminde, reflecting that energy in her direction and camerawork. She often uses gentle transitions, slow, smooth pans, and close-ups that feel intimate, not intrusive. Other times the camera sits steadily on a tripod capturing life and interactions as they occur, in an echo of the nursing home’s mindful living philosophy. It’s expressively-wrought filmmaking which immerses us in the residents’ lives, engaging us emotionally through the film’s genuine exploration of its subjects rather than by manipulative editing.
Of course, not all moments are gentle and calm. Detlefsen also captures the hardships involved with both living with dementia and caring for those with dementia. There’s an emotional toll for all when a resident dies. One elderly gentleman in particular struggles to cope with his deteriorating physical condition. Much of the film follows spirited gentleman Torkild as he grapples with accepting the permanent move to Dagmarsminde and his wife Vibeke’s condition. The couple moves into the home early in the film. Vibeke lives with advanced Alzheimers while Torkild is unaware of his own mental deterioration, consequently resisting the move and his loss of control. Throughout the film, we see Torkild gradually accept and enjoy life at Dagmarsminde, while his condition presents itself in various ways. He puts on the wrong coat. He gets frustrated at his wife’s inability to do certain tasks. He is sensitive to noise and quick to anger when music is too loud or another resident has a coughing fit.
Detlefsen is an experienced filmmaker known for raising awareness about issues through her films. Her recent documentary, Fat Front followed a Scandinavian feminist body positivity movement and explored issues around negative self-image and media. It Is Not Over Yet similarly brings much-needed attention to an important issue, namely society’s treatment of seniors and those living with dementia. Detlefsen provides a look into a viable and affordable alternative (Dagmarsminde operates with the same resources as other nursing homes, and residents live on state pensions) that employs a solution that seems so simple and obvious—human kindness and compassion. At one point in the film, a resident tells a nurse she loves her, and the nurse returns the sentiment with genuine affection. It’s a heart-warming moment that also breaks your heart for its circumstantial rarity.
It Is Not Over Yet makes viewers laugh and cry as they witness the warmth and compassion Bjerre Eiby and her team provide to the end-of-life residents in their care. It drives home the effectiveness of human kindness and the importance of enabling our seniors and those living with dementia to live every moment with joy, dignity and love.
Score: B+
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