Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.

A malady is sweeping the nation, an illness with no effective medication, no clear cause and no known cure. It starts out mild but its effects get worse and worse, ultimately leading to death. More than half a million Canadians suffer from it. What is this plague? HIV? Opioid addiction? Bird flu? No, I’m talking about dementia caused by Alzheimers. And patients with dementia need constant care.

The Caregivers Club is a new documentary that looks at three patients with early-onset dementia and the very different decisions made by the people who care for them. It follows a mother who lives in her own home with caregivers hired by her adult daughter; a wife assisted by her husband; and a man who lives in a nursing home as his wife raises their three young kids. The film was written and directed by noted Toronto documentarian Cynthia Banks.

I spoke to Cynthia by telephone from CIUT.

The Caregivers Club is playing on CBC Docs-POV at 9:00 pm on Sunday, and streaming online beginning today.