Dementia Movie Essay

Dementia is characterized by a degeneration or loss of cognitive functions, memory, and other mental abilities. This eventually lead to the impairment of the ability to do everyday activities such as household chores, driving, and personal care Dementia occurs most commonly in elderly people and it used to be considered a normal part of the aging process. It is now known, through extensive research, that dementia is not a normal part the aging process and is caused by a number of different medical conditions and it can occur in both elderly and younger persons. Dementia can be reversed, in some cases, with proper medical treatment. But, in other it is and usually tends to get worse over time.

“About 4 to 5 million people in the United States

n.d). Dementia is the main reason most elderly people are put in nursing homes and institutions. Many people with dementia will sooner or later become totally dependent on others for their care. Although people with dementia typically remain fully conscious, the deterioration of their short term and/or long term memory is universal. The movie I choose that dealt with dementia is titled “Robot & Frank “and stars actor Frank Langella. The movie is set in the future and is about an aging ex-convict, thief named Frank who lives alone. Frank is starting to experience serious mental deterioration and dementia. Hunter, an attorney and Frank’s son. He gets tired of making weekly visits but is doesn’t want to put Frank into fulltime care, so he purchases a robot companion. The robot works as a fulltime caregiver and is programmed to provide Frank with therapeutic care, a fixed daily routine and cognitive enhancing activities like gardening. At first he doesn’t care for the Robot but Frank warms up to it when he realizes the robot is not programmed to distinguish between legal activities and criminal ones, and can assist him in lock-picking. Together, the two commit