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Linking Up: The Graying of AIDs
Well-known gerontologist Dr. James Birren once told me that in the late 1940s, all of the gerontologists in the United States could fit comfortably in one modest size hotel meeting room. He should know; he was there. Thanks to the leadership of Birren and so many others, modern gerontology has advanced vigorously since those days. …
The Elders: Everyone Is a Story
An adult developmentalist recently told me that the main reason he enjoyed studying older adults is because “their bodies contain so many interesting variables” that are easily extracted with quantitative measures. To be sure, variable-oriented developmental science has contributed significantly to our understanding of the aging process. Many would agree, however, that a valid understanding of aging …
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
This film opens on an interview with 82 year-old George (“Jack”) William Hall. Twenty-one years ago, his son—hooked on drugs as a teenager—“finally hanged himself.” Jack explains: “One day this dope dealer was bragging about how he made his money. He didn’t make no more. I stopped him.” Jack was convicted of murder and sentenced …
The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne
The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne is a stylish, engrossing, and ultimately sad film about an 84-year-old Black American woman who achieved fame and notoriety as a world-class jewel thief in a career that spans 64 years. In the opening and closing scenes of the video, Doris, then 80 years old, is accused of stealing …
Alive Inside: Reprise
Perhaps the greatest power of documentary film is its ability to reveal to us experiences, feelings, and events that might have otherwise remained beyond our awareness and our imagination. Two years ago in this space ( Scheidt, 2013 ), I reviewed a brief version of “Alive Inside,” a video by Michael Rossato-Bennett. That remarkable film demonstrates the …
From Nine to Ninety
From Nine to Ninety deals with a common family situation in the United States—providing care for older adults within a multigenerational household setting. It focuses on a single family that shares the common challenges faced by many other families that currently struggle with adult caregiving. The primary caregivers, for example, are middle-aged daughters who provide care …
You See Me
The premise of this interesting and multilayered film is revealed at the outset: Videographer Linda Brown created You See Me (http://youseememovie.com/) in hopes of achieving a better understanding of her father, Stanley Brown, a man she loved but “wonder if I ever really knew.” This is not a fresh journey for Linda; she admits that despite struggling …
Finding Tatanka
Videographer Jacob Bricca created Finding Tatanka to gain greater understanding of his father, Kit Bricca. He hoped to fill in blank spots that have remained in their relationship across the years and, hopefully, to reach a resolution that might enrich it. The result is a video case study of this father–son relationship and more largely, of a …
The Age of Love
At the outset of The Age of Love , an elderly man shows videographer Steven Loring a snapshot of his wife and himself taken at night: “We were right in the woods and it was great. We could sit in the creek with a case of beer in the water. You love each other and you have …
I Remember Better When I Paint
I Remember Better When I Paint is perhaps the most important documentary to date dealing with our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the nearly 47 million persons worldwide currently afflicted with dementia ( https://www.alz.co.uk/research/statistics ; Alzheimer’s Disease International, 2016 ). It should be required viewing of every gerontology educator and practitioner, regardless of years in rank. Every student who …
There is a Place
There Is a Place is a brief video about the salutary impact that active and shared musical experience has on elders with dementia. It is a film that should come with a warning label for viewers, especially those already who know that music has the potential to reveal the essential sense of self presumed lost to the ravages …
Coming of Age in Aging America
Coming of Age in Aging America is perhaps the most important film to emerge to date within The New Gerontology paradigm. In contrast to the historically dour 4-D perspective on aging (decline, deterioration, dependency, depression), it is refreshingly optimistic and celebratory. Developed in collaboration with the MacArthur Network on Aging and Society, it is “an extensive …