Fighting for Life
The true story of one family’s struggle to get the care their elderly parents needed in the midst of serious health challenges.
(Pictured left: Jim and Joan Findlay on their 60th wedding anniversary)
‘Fighting For Life’ is inspired by the true story of one family’s struggle to get the care that both their elderly parents needed as they faced serious health challenges. These struggles along with recommendations about how things could have been much better handled are documented in The Findlay Report written and produced by the Findlay family.
The report has been distributed and used by others as an education tool for over 13 years and much of what it contains is still relevant today. ‘Fighting For Life’ adds more to the story by letting audiences peek into and gain some understanding of the lives, heartaches and good times experienced by the two main characters, ‘Jim’ and ‘Joan.’ It shows that they were more than just a couple of older people or a case of dementia (Joan) or Motor Neurone Disease (Jim) to those that knew and loved them especially their family. Their adult children and other family members fought their way through a sometimes chaotic and disjointed health and social care system in order to get them the care they needed towards the end of their lives. It was a tough fight.
CEO Brian Daniels and Dr Bernie C Byers, Associate Director with actor Greg Wise at the premiere performance of ‘Fighting for Life’
The play premiered in January 2018 at the Marie Curie Hospice in Hampstead, London with more performances hosted by a variety of organisations since then in England, Scotland and Wales. Venues so far have included hospices, hospitals, community theatres and universities.
The play puts forward the story in a way that provides a unique environment for education and training purposes and for raising awareness of the issues especially in relation to older people. Each performance is followed by a panel discussion including a Q&A with the audience and is an integral part of the event.
“This moving and emotional story has to be told. It’s about the challenges we could all face in older life ... I am very proud to be associated with the play and with the Findlay family”
Brian Daniels and Helen Findlay at the premiere of Fighting for Life
How the play came to be…
Brian says “I met Helen Findlay at an event organised by the National Council for Palliative Care (now Hospice UK) at the Palace of Westminster that we both attended. We had never met before. After the meeting, Helen talked to me briefly about The Findlay Report that I was then keen to read. She emailed it to me and when I had read it I understood the difficulties that the Findlay family had experienced when trying to deal with both of their parents’ ill health and social care needs. This realisation, combined with many media reports about older, vulnerable people and their medical and social care challenges, led me to the idea that we should create a play based on the Findlay family story. I also felt it was important to create a wider understanding of the complexities of accessing good quality health and social care for older people.”
Following this initial meeting, Brian delved more deeply into the lives of Joan and Jim as well as the challenges they faced at the end of their lives to help him write more rounded characterisations. Brian collaborated closely with Helen as the script developed over the months and he also met with other members of the Findlay family who shared with him their own thoughts and experiences of their parents.
Shortlisted at PENNA
We are thrilled that the ‘Fighting For Life’ drama was a finalist at the Patient Experience Network National Awards 2018. Brian Daniels and Helen Findlay attended a special conference in Birmingham to receive a special certificate.
“I was privileged to have been commissioned to write ‘Fighting for Life’ and to tell the struggles of the Findlay family in accessing health and social care for James and Joan. What an honour to be shortlisted by PENNA.” – Brian Daniels
