Sandra Martin Productions - Death, Dying and Grieving

SANDRA MARTIN PRODUCTIONS
Omaha, Nebraska
402.445.8447

VIDEO TOPICS

Death and Dying
Aging
Alzheimer's Disease
Physical Disabilities

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2-Part Videos Series on Death and Dying
click video title below for more information

1. Just Ordinary Days - Personal Reflections on Living and Dying

2. You're Never Over Love - A Continuing Story

Just Ordinary Days - Personal Reflections on Living and Dying

Two Versions Available:
2001, color, 58 minutes, DVD or VHS
Shortened version suitable for viewers in general

2001, color, 120 minutes, DVD or VHS
In-depth version divided into four parts; suitable for health care/hospice training, medical students, and other professionals.

This powerful video, as much about living as it is about dying, focuses on Cindy, a 47-year-old woman in the final stages of cancer. Through her unique insights, amazing courage, and inspiring attitude, Cindy helps viewers see the specialness of "just ordinary days," and leads them through an incredible journey towards acceptance.

The 2-hour presentation, divided into four parts, includes:

Part 1 - 34 minutes:
This section explores the many issues we all struggle with in the face of death, including the underlying factors that cause people to deny, fear and avoid death and dying people. Viewers are introduced to three terminally-ill people, Cindy, Fred and Clara, and their families, along with several health care professionals. Areas they discuss include: how physicians are trained to see death as a "failure," the cost of denying that a loved one is dying, the difference between letting go and giving up, how guilt can drive medical treatment decisions, the importance of humor, and how we can begin to accept death not by learning how to die, but by learning how to live.

Part 2 - 27 minutes:
The "heart" of the film in many aspects, this section truly reflects a "view from the inside." Cindy, Fred and Clara present very different perspectives and insights about what it is like to be close to death. In addition, their family members relate their own unique experiences as they try to deal with, and prepare for, their loved one's approaching death.

Part 3 - 29 minutes:
Part 3 addresses the many difficult issues identified in Parts 1 and 2, and teaches us how to better support people at the end of life. This section truly captures the essence of the hospice philosophy, and shows the tremendous difference that a hospice approach can make in the lives of dying people and their families. Areas of focus include the importance of allowing for a natural death, the need to give loved ones permission to die, the role of spirituality in medicine, and the myth of the "good death."

Part 4 - 30 minutes:
In addition to exploring ways to better educate medical students, this section focuses on one of our most basic and troubling dilemmas: how to talk to each other about the issues most at heart. Viewers are given practical guidelines for approaching and discussing sensitive issues, including specific suggestions about what to say, and not to say, to someone with a terminal illness. Then, in a powerful and moving culmination, Cindy shares some of the life lessons she has learned, giving all of us a rare and precious giftEne that will not only impact how we face death, somedayEut how we face life, today.

"This is a powerful video - reminiscent of Tuesdays with Morrie. It reminds us that there can be meaningful life, even as we die. This is a great teaching tool - a true find."

Dr. Kenneth J. Doka, Mdiv., PhD
Senior Consultant - Hospice Foundation of America

"Ehis video tape gets a '5 Star Rating' out of a possible 5 for its content and presentation. It is indeed one of the best films I have ever seen on the dying and death process."

Reviewed in Healing Ministries (in press) by Chaplain Paul Durbin, PhD - Director of Pastoral Care (ret.)
Pendleton Memorial Methodist Hospital
New Orleans, Louisiana

The 58 minute presentation is a condensed version of the above.

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You're Never Over Love . . .A Continuing Story
2003, Color, 49 minutes, DVD or VHS

In a previous video in the View from the Inside collection, Cindy - a 47-year-old woman with terminal cancer - shared her feelings about what it was like to live in the face of death.

Now, three years later, the people who were closest to her present the next chapter in her story. Supported by health care professionals and members of the clergy, Cindy's family members and friends talk about what her loss has meant to them, how they are coping with that loss, and most importantly, how they have found ways to keep her in their lives. Although each person mourns a separate loss and travels through the grief journey on a separate path, all eventually reach the same conclusion: that contrary to societal dictates, you can maintain a connection to your loved one and still resolve your grief.

Including scenes and interview clips of Cindy from the previous video, You're Never Over Love . . . A Continuing Story is truly unique, giving viewers a rare opportunity to come full circle through the continuous cycles of loving, losing and grieving we experience throughout our lives.

"This is a warm and wonderful video. A continuation of Cindy's story, it reaffirms that even death only changes relationships; it does not end them. It would be helpful not only to students and professionals, but also a comfort to those in the midst of grief."

Dr. Kenneth J. Doka, PhD Senior Consultant, Hospice Foundation of America
"This video tape on the grief process is highly relevant and should be required viewing by students at medical and theology schools."

Reviewed in Healing Ministry by Chaplain Paul Durbin Director of Pastoral Care (ret.) Pendleton Memorial Methodist Hospital New Orleans, Louisiana

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phone: 402-445-8447