Caregiver Movies

Movies for Caregivers Who Have Netflix & Prime

It’s not for every caregiver. A Netflix Special about caring for those with debilitating, even terminal diseases.

I’m writing a watch list of caregiver movies available on Netflix and Amazon Prime. I’m 35 years old with a wife and a mom who take care of my dad with Parkinson’s disease. Show time!

It's one way to learn from other’s experience. By watching films about caregiving, the stories of family caregivers or elderly humans, we can relate the film to our own family caregiving circumstances.

You can read my "End Game" Movie Review here.

Netflix Watchlist for Caregiving-related Movies

• Crip Camp (2020) Is about accessibility and the caregiving done at summer camp for teens with disabilities, not exactly the “family caregiver flick” most of you are looking for, but it’s available on Netflix now. Plus it's a new release compared to others.
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) A stroke patient became paralyzed, and his and his significant other’s entire life got turned upside down.
• Life Itself (2014) About caring for a cancer patient, with Roger Ebert it’s gotta be a profound film inducing reflection.
• Nothing in Common (1986) I’d like to watch this one since Tom Hanks is an excellent actor and the plot will be more lighthearted than other heavy-on-the-heartstrings caregiver flicks.
• The Savages (2007) This one looks good to watch since my own dad is one of those creative types, and I’m grieving his Parkinson’s with Dementia to this very day.

Available on Amazon Prime

• The Theory of Everything (2014) A based-on-a-true-story movie of the the familiar name Stephen Hawking, and the life changes that unfold after a medical diagnosis.
• What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962) A classic filmed about family life with a crippled family member. Filmed in 1962, I’d like to see how societal views of disability have changed since back then
• Caregiver (2008) Interesting look at a Filipino caregiver who’s immigrated to the UK. This was from the 2000s, but I know caregiver programs with plans to come to the USA still exist today. I mean, it’s possible to hire a foreign in-home caregiver in 2022. This movie would be from this perspective.
  

Not Available on Netflix or Prime

In September 2022, while making this checklist of caregiver-focused movies and films, I ran across so many popular titles, but many of them were NOT available on Netflix.

That’s what I’m writing for you here. You CAN’T watch the following movies on Netflix from Michigan as of September 2022. I have no clue if that will change in the future. Ask Netflix.

• Silver Linings Playbook (2012) a very popular film about caring for an adult with mental illness.
• Still Alice (2014) Another highly popular title about caring for an immediate family member with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease.
• Elizabeth is Missing (2019) looks interesting because it’s filmed from the perspective of the person with dementia.
• The Upside (2017) I've actually watched this one years ago. It's about a rich man bound to a wheelchair who looks to a caregiver with zero experience and a rocky past with the law. It's got lots of elements of a Hollywood flick, so it's an easy watch even if you're not a caregiver.
• Remember Isobel (2018) When a grandmother is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter assumed responsibility for her care. I would have liked to watch this because it’s about an adult child taking on care for their family elder, which I’d like to learn more about.
• Nobody Nobody But Juan (2009) I bet this would have some pretty humerous inter-family interactions that would be totally relatable within my own smaller, less expressive family unit.