“Aging” Documentary Confronts Important Issues Facing Our Nation
“When we talk about old age each of us is talking about his or her own future. We must ask ourselves if we are willing to settle for mere survival when so much more is possible.”
Saving perhaps the most important summary point for the end, the documentary “Aging in America: Survive or Thrive,” which is now available to view on PBS and Amazon Prime Video, is a comprehensive overview of the issues facing our nation due to a rapidly aging population. Through the inspiring words and teachings of Dr. Robert Butler, the one-hour program ultimately sheds light on the sobering reality of how little ground we have made since he published his at-the-time, groundbreaking book “Why Survive? Being Old in America” on the topic of aging in America. As a warning message to policy makers and citizens with the collective power to advocate, it also offers some reflection on what needs to change as presented by leading aging experts.
The Impact of Aging on America
Segmented into five short pieces, each on a different aspect of aging, the program is narrated by Martin Sheen and features personal stories of people closely impacted by the repsective issues. The documentary presents a historical timeline related to our nation’s changing individual life expectancy over the years and the societal constructs that evolved as a result. According to the documentary, when Dr. Butler’s book was first published in 1975, there were less than 23 million Americans over the age of 65 and now, 50 years later, there are over 55 million. The foreboding question it raised, “50 years later, have we progressed?”
The Origins of Ageism
The topic of “ageism,” which was a term first coined by Dr. Butler, is covered within the first segment. The documentary cited Dr. Butler’s own upbringing and childhood experiences as foundational for the focus he would have on this topic and his career pursuit as a physician and researcher. Butler was raised by his grandparents and was deeply traumatized by the death of his grandfather at an early age. Poverty impacted his life and he witnessed firsthand the plight of economic uncertainty and loneliness in the lives of older people. One of his famous quotes, “When we are negative to the old, we are slashing our own tires,” summarizes his philosophy well.
How we financially support and take care of the growing aging population, a part of which all of us will eventually become, is the focus of the second segment. Entitled “How to Grow Old and Poor in an Affluent Society,” this portion of the documentary highlights the growing disparity among segments of the aging population and the life expectancy differences correlated to financial well-being. According to the documentary, there are over 17 million people over the age of 65 that are economically insecure. This fragility results in homelessness and increased medical costs that greatly burden our systems of care. However, in one example it is pointed out that preventive measures can be delivered with a $29,000 annual reduction in cost; although many of our society’s constructs are not positioned to efficiently address issues before they become critical.
Healthcare is Broken
The broken healthcare system and the nation-wide shortage of geriatricians are addressed and critically examined within one of the segments that sets the stage for two of the other topics covered in the program, which are especially aligned with St. John’s mission and services. According to the documentary, nationwide there is a critical need for more resources to deliver care to people living with dementia and the caregivers, who one speaker in the program named “the unsung heroes of the dementia journey.” Dr. Butler was one of the pioneers of bringing to light the fact that “senility is not the natural outcome of aging” and that dementia is a medical condition worthy of research and funding. This work began at the federal level within the National Institute on Aging, which Dr. Butler had a hand in developing and for which he also served as its first head.
Hope for the Future of Aging
Closing with a sense of hope, aging experts urge policy experts to have a new movement around investing in the entire lifespan of the human experience. We must look at older adults as people who are the “beneficiaries of time.” “What are the opportunities of having more older adults in our country” the program asks and also poses to the viewer that the immediate challenge is to create a more age-friendly society. Butlers daughters, who are interviewed throughout the program, said that their dad looked at things that most poeple still have trouble looking at. They urge leaders to come to grips with what aging means in our society.
All of us are “aging” as long as we are alive. The documentary “Aging in America: Survive or Thrive” is a worthwhile watch for any adult who cares about investing in the solutions that help to make this nation a place where aging is about “thriving.”