Family Fights Over Care for Mom:Subject of Academy Award

We all know that family dynamics are not always the most pleasant and can lead to strife, stress and litigation. Kaiser Health News ran a recent story that details a conflict within a family. A Tale of Love, Family Conflict And Battles Over Care For An Aging Mother focuses on the story “'Edith + Eddie,' a short documentary vying for an Academy Award Sunday,[which] is a gripping look at a couple in their 90s caught up in an intense family conflict over caring for an aging parent." The short film starts a few months after the couples' marriage and ends (spoiler alert) "months later with the couple being separated by Edith’s court-appointed legal guardian, with police on the scene, and Edith taken off abruptly to Florida. Shockingly, Eddie died only a few weeks later." Interwoven with the love story are allegations within Edith's family of fighting siblings, guardianship and financial concerns.

The movie is focused on the love story. The columnist took a broader approach, diving into the family dynamics, finding "[t]hree daughters in distress over the care of an aged mother and roiled by disputes played out in courtrooms among far-flung siblings." Eventually two of the three daughters were named co-guardians , but even so, the road was bumpy; "the sisters for years had bickered over what was best for their mother."  The marriage occurred after the guardianship was established, so the question of the validity of the marriage was also at play here.  The co-guardians didn't work well together. One wouldn't consult the other and moved her mother frequently without telling the other family members of the mother's location. Finally a non-relative guardian was appointed, but even she wasn't able too keep track of the mother's location.  The guardian wanted Edith to go to Florida for a bit so the guardian could find an appropriate ALF for her.  After more hurdles, Edith finally went to Florida where her health slowly began to improve.

The story ends with this "Edith passed away last March of natural causes at the age of 98, after living with her daughter in Florida through the end of her life. She never went to an institution. Her home wasn’t sold until after her death; there was no attempt to plunder her estate by lawyers or family members. That’s the other story of Edith+Eddie."

Watch the film. Read the article.  Lots of class discussion could come out of this.