One Father's Journey: Love, Happiness, Alzheimer's

My father passed away on May 17th, 2023.

Over the past 3.5 years, beginning at the advent of the Covid19 lockdown, and until his death, I played a special role in his life, as his primary caregiver outside of my Mother, as he experience the journey of Alzheimer's (which is a common affliction for nearly all of his siblings as well)

During this span, I took my father on over 200 day trips, to get him out of the house (which he loved), and to give my mother some time to herself to recover from her caregiver duties, as she herself is now 77.

As I grapple with the grief of his recent passing; I'm awestruck in retrospect, at his ability to make the most of each day on this Earth, down the final stretch of his life. His smile would light up a room, he engaged with everyone he passed on the street, he was friendly and joyful and brought cheer to people's lives.

I also made many realizations about the plight of people with "Dementia" (a term I want to help vanquish with this film). There was so much that my Mother and I learned, in regards to how to best help support his journey, how to communicate with him, how to protect him when his filters started to fray, and how to balance out our grief and stress as caregivers.

Not every story about a "Father's Journey" into the twilight of consciousness has to be gloomy, indeed, for my father it was not a dark tunnel, but rather, a bright horizon, which he crossed over.

During the course of the 200+ road trips I took my father on, I had amazing conversations with him at each stage of his condition, we saw beautiful sights in nature which were profound, we explored massive swaths of Southern California, and I took tens of thousands of photos and videos of our adventures.

Now that he has passed over, I have all these memories and material and experiences within me, and I wish to honor his graceful journey and inspire other families who also face this difficult period, with a film which speaks to their journey, speaks to their needs, and advocates for better support for families who also struggle to protect and support their father or mother, their grandfather, their grandmother.

I am uniquely positioned to share this story, as a person with writing aspirations, as a person with film making aspirations, and with his upcoming burial in Germany in November, in which this film will be showcased first for the family, and then for broader release to the general public.

I will interview people who helped care for him, people who worked at the Senior center, (where he was a sensation), relatives, and friends. I will compile the most exception moments from our amazing road trips, the hikes and walks and sunsets, which were epic and beautiful and of course, at times challenging as well.

I will involve my Mother in this project, as a form of "Katharsis" for her, as a part of her grieving process as well.

This project will be created from today: Father's Day June 18th, 2023 to Spring 2024. The date we have selected for his burial in Germany, with his ancestors, in our Dinkel Family plot is Black Friday. (He has already had his American funeral on June 8th, and the Germany burial needed to be postponed until all four of his sons and their families could accommodate a trip to Germany together.)

I hope to achieve a Film which honors the memory of my father's journey, speaks to the needs and struggles and triumphs of families caring for relatives going through "Dementia", "Cognitive Decline" and Alzheimer's, and frames this difficult topic in such a way, that highlights the beauty of life itself, of which my father became in incredible Beacon.

My father had a very unique and distinct journey, as a German immigrant, who came to California at age 25 with just one semester of English under his belt, to pursue and marry my mother, and who then raised a family of four boys, came to the doorstep of a Doctorate in European History from UCLA, and then got into sales and marketing for a living in the Los Angeles area. He was, in many ways, a genius... and he spoke 3 languages fluently and was also educated in Latin and Ancient Greek, in a theology program. He was a man of God, who attended Church every Sunday as a Catholic and sang in various church choirs for decades. He also played the organ, was known as the human calculator as a young man, and had a penchant for travel. He was truly a magical and unique human being, and he lived a magnificent life of family, God, Music, and joy.

I chose this way of processing his loss, and at the same time, stepping into the arena of storytelling.

There will be a film, and this crowdfunding platform will support that effort. I will also be crafting a companion book, to compile these thoughts, feelings, and insights. This is the way that I chose to honor his memory, and the memory of how he navigated, what for many, can be a foggy place, but for his, was a beautiful and magical journey into a distilled and childlike wonder.

The funds will help to launch the LLC production company which will be utilized to craft the film

The funds will be used to acquire the necessary editing computer, the documentary camera and microphones for the interviews, to fund the necessary travel expenses, and to create the time to craft this narrative.

Regular Updates will be added to this fundraising page and participants will be invited to local premiers in Germany, Los Angeles, and Simi Valley.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this project, and Peace Be With You.

Charles Dinkel, the son of Konrad Dinkel.