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Pop Culture

A viral short film shows the struggles families face when dealing with dementia

'The Wait' was originally released in 2018, but has recently resurfaced thanks to Reddit.

dementia, alzheimers, short film

A short film shows the complexities of dealing with an ailing parent.

Caring for an ailing parent takes a real toll on a person. And when you're dealing with other things in your life, it can feel like you're drowning. In a short film called "The Wait," director Jason McColgan paints a heartbreaking but realistic portrait of what it is like to care for an aging parent suffering from dementia.


The short was released in 2018 and won a couple of awards back then. In 2021, the film went viral again after being posted on Reddit.

In the film, which takes place somewhere in the United Kingdom, a woman is seen sitting on a bench at a bus stop. When the film opens, she's speaking on her phone making an appointment with a doctor's office. An older man is seen sitting next to her. As the camera pans out, we see that she is visibly pregnant and rubbing her stomach. She is clearly stressed.

When the man begins to make conversation with her, it's clear her feathers are ruffled a bit. The questions range from typical, "When are you due?" to invasive, "Do you have any family?" and with each question her stress level seems to rise. Many women have dealt with their fair share of overly invasive (however well-meaning) strangers during pregnancy, so it's not surprising that she's a little distressed by his constant question asking.

Soon, the bus pulls up and that's when we get the full story. This older man is her father, and it's just the two of them. Clearly the man is suffering from dementia or a similar memory loss disease, and his daughter is under a massive amount of stress.

Watch the film below:

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, though the film never reveals what exactly the man is suffering from. According to the CDC, in 2014, there were an estimated 5 million adults over the age of 65 in the U.S. suffering from the disease. The CDC projects that 14 million adults in the U.S. will have the disease by 2060.

Signs of dementia or Alzheimer's include using unusual words to refer to familiar objects, forgetting old memories and the inability to perform tasks independently. If you suspect someone in your life may have dementia, you should speak with a medical professional to have them properly assessed.

Pop Culture

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Cameron House/Naughty Sheep

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Now we can add "nuzzling with naughty sheep" to the mix, but with a fancy Scottish twist.

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drone view of cameron house grounds and lakeCameron House sit on Lake Lochmond in Scotland.Cameron House


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Crows are so much smarter than we think.

A Eurasian crow.

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However, the crow's relationship with their son, 2-year-old Otto, is truly extraordinary. “They could spend hours just playing,” Otto’s mother, Laerke Luna, says in a video shared by The Dodo. "When Otto is outside, he will never leave Otto’s side.”

Russell, the free-spirited crow, ventures away from the family's home from time to time, but never for too long. He always comes back and announces his return by tapping on the door, swooping in to lounge on the sofa, or awaiting Otto's return from school atop their roof.

“When we are inside, he will sit inside the window because he wants Otto to go outside with him,” Laerke said.

The family’s relationship with Russell didn’t come out of nowhere. When Russell was a young bird, he had health problems so the family took him and nursed the bird back to health. Eventually, they witnessed his first attempts to fly.

Recently, Russell became friends with another family member, their second child, Hedwig. Although he does get a little annoyed with the bird’s frequent attempts to nab his pacifier.

Even though it’s rare for humans to strike up such a close bond with a crow, according to research, it’s not that surprising. Audubon says that crows are “some of the smartest animals in the world” with an intelligence “on par with chimpanzees.” They are also very social and family-oriented, so no wonder Russell loves Otto and his family.

Crow Named Russell Waits For His Favorite Kid To Get Home From School | The Dodo


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