Love Me Tender

Among many other things, Alzheimer's disease tests the bonds of friendship.

A lot of friends fail that test. Unable or unwilling to cope with the repetition, the change in character, the missteps, the forgetfulness, the not knowing, they don't stick around.

That leaves people with memory loss and dementia on the loneliest of journeys. Which makes a group of women in London, Ontario all the more worth knowing. Every Friday afternoon they gather - Stella, Cathy, Sandy, Anne, and Mary - all women in their sixties, to be with each other and with Joan McConnell, their dear friend who is battling the disease.

Her days are packed into a tight, almost dizzying list of scheduled, weekly activities. All marked in pencil by her husband and daughter on the kitchen calendar: Swimming with Sandy on Mondays and Wednesdays. Volunteer work on Tuesdays. Support Group on Thursdays. Doctor with Kathy. Tea with Mary. Lunch with Stella. Dinner with Ann. And every Friday. At the same time, that precious afternoon with lifelong friends.

This feature documentary is called, Love Me Tender and was produced by Sunday Edition producer, Alisa Siegel.

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