Frontline: Living Old A powerful and intimate journey of Americans living longer

Frontline ^ | November 21, 2006 | PBS

[Utah Binger]

For the first time in American history, "the old old" -- those over 85 -- are now the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. Medical advances have enabled an unprecedented number of Americans to live longer, healthier lives. But for millions of elderly, living longer can also mean a debilitating physical decline that often requires an immense amount of care. And just as more care is needed, fewer caregivers are available to provide it. In "Living Old," FRONTLINE investigates this national crisis and explores the new realities of aging in America.

"We're on the threshold of the first-ever mass geriatric society," says Dr. Leon Kass, chairman of the President's Council on Bioethics from 2002 to 2005. "The bad news is that the price that many people are going to be paying for [an] extra decade of healthy longevity is up to another decade of anything but healthy longevity. … We've not yet begun to face up to what this means in human terms."

[Utah Binger]

Just watched this tonight. Kept getting the feeling that these liberal experts are leading up to a process where us old fogies will be done away with as we are approaching 70 million over 85. Very scary!

[taxesareforever]

Frontline has turned into a liberal media spinmaster.

[Aikonaa]

Frontline has turned into a liberal media spinmaster.

When has it been anything else?

[operation clinton cleanup]

On a related note...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1742449/posts

[Utah Binger]

I remember when Frontline was a good source of information. Lately they all have that spin. Kill the babies; kill the old folks!

[Utah Binger]

Wow!

[operation clinton cleanup]

I read somewhere that 97% of a persons health care costs are incurred in the last 12 months of life. Guess where the cost cutting will be?!

[lawnguy]

Now which is it? Am I going to die from pesticides and global warming and trans fats, or am I going to live to a ripe old age and be a burden to all you young freepers who will be forced to send me alpo to survive;)

[Utah Binger]

Amazing how we keep on living with all the crap they tell us is so bad. A good friend died yesterday. He was a mere boy of 65. Massive heart attck. About twenty years ago he quit smoking and left the evil booze and started back with with his fundamentalist religion. The guilt and the stress got him on the front steps of his church. May he rest in peace. If he had continued drinking a few glasses of red wine he might still be with us.

[word_warrior_bob]

Socialized medecine will take care of this "problem".

[Utah Binger]

Fifteen years ago I was the trustee for an old gentleman friend. He was in a rest home in Santa Cruz California. He started with about $100,000 in the bank. The rest home was 4,800. per month. Funny. He only lasted 20 months. Money was gone, so he decided to die.

Point is, it's the money and only the money.

[Bobibutu]

You have it RIGHT!

Peace of mind is primary - all else fades.

[Utah Binger]

I am very lucky in that my profession will never allow me to retire. My retirement equity is fine art. I only sell what is needed to live on.

SS and Medicare... a big joke to me.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

Definitely a "death-lover's" documentary. One uncomfortable vignette after another about how old age is nothing but a time of unbearable suffering and why old people are nothing but a burden on their families and society. It started with the question of whether old age was worth living and ended with a doctor who plans to off himself. All but one of the elderly people portrayed were miserable and unhappy. The only exception was, I believe, the pro-life mother of one of the producers to whom the film was posthumously dedicated to. It was nothing but overt leftist propoganda.

[Utah Binger]

You said it better than I could...Absolutely right! A "death lover documentary".

[cherry]

what do all you people want?.......is it the destiny of all children to become virtual slaves so 90 yros can live longer, even in a debilitated state?.....

do we break the bank to pay for SS, Medicare, Medicaid, nursing home coverage, free drugs, free transportation, thousands and thousands more " disabled parking spots" ( mostly for the able who don't need it) , and how about free meals, in home care-givers, adult daycares and on and on and on.....

enough is enough.....

maybe age is not the best determinant but some benefits need to be doled out a little more responsibly..........

the rest of the population can not and will not be slaves to provide for one segment....something has to give....

and old stat but a good one.....for every 10 dollars we spend on the elderly, we spend a whole dollar on children......

no wonder the elderly have most of the assets of our nation....we've stealing from the young to give it to them...

[Bobibutu]

My Grandmother (who left her entire estate(massive)to me and my 2 sisters) wound up spending 23 years in convelacent homes (Parkinsons) - her estate was depeleted down to $ 2000.00 and finally Medicare took over. What a shame - her last years of life could have been much better and the estate transfered intact if we had only known the twists and turns of the IRS/FED Regs and how to counter them.

Like the old saying goes ... If you think education is expensive - try igornance.

If I knew then what I know now .... I would not still be working because I have to vs. choice.

[RobbyS]

Or not. Maybe his areries were clogged already.

[SaltyJoe]

Why are "old people" such a threat?

I think the lie happened long before I was conceived. It was a false fantasy to think that we could "retire". Yeah, work a mere 2 decades and then live off the fat of society. Maybe the math worked out when the average family was much more than our average what-ever-ya-wanna-call-it today.

I don't recall God promising Adam such temporal retirement when our original parents were kicked out of Eden. He said that we'd have to toil and sweat for anything and even for mere adequacy.

Work is meant to be a joy. Old people work and are part of industry as "young" people are. But, how did the elderly become such a "threat"?

Oh yeah, the whole "get high/get laid" agenda that distracts responsibility from family and onto absolute pleasure. While the older generation was a few decades younger, there was that big abortion "pro-choice" push amidst the "expand your mind" substance abuse "revolution".

Wise people ignored the lie and continued with the hard earned knowledge their ancestors taught them. So, now we'll have to listen to the loathing of those who push despair for having ridiculed traditional values. But don't worry, God's Grace is still here for the living. It's not too late to change. Besides, work is a joy. Walmart still hires greeters and I never met a janitor who was too old to push a mop. I'm not knocking down pride for fun. I'm working at least a double load for what shouldn't have been allowed decades ago. I'm working very hard because society bought into the lie of "get laid/get high".

We're financial slaves until we unshackle ourselves of such folly to think that generations can retire upon the wealth of a non-renewing society. Our morality bankrupted decades ago. Is it any wonder that our finances will follow? If I had any control over my personal finances, NONE would go to Social Security because it just won't be there for me (in our present condition). And what little Social Security is there will too often be used for policies I'd abhor even it is protected (the way "life" is protected in our Constitution).

My "social security" is having a grandparent and great grandparent to change my baby's/babies' diapers.