[Film leader]
[Tone]
[Auctioneer chanting]
[Outside Cummings' garage]
[Crowd chatter]
[Crowd:] A quarter.
[Auctioneer:] Who said a quarter?
[Crowd:] A quarter.
[Auctioneer: A quarter again.
[Auctioneer chanting]
[Outdoor auction crowd chatter]
[Chatter]
[Young and old gatheredoutside for the auction]
[John Cummings examinesa framed picture]
[John proceeds to the stage]
[Auctioneer:]: Well, look at this.
Nice looking horse.
All right.
And wadda we gonnaget now with that good
looking horse picture.
How much?
A quarter?
Where you been all summer?
Giving the horses [?]
[Auctioneer:] Who'll say a dollar?
[Music]
[Ready for Edna]
[Copyright 1964 National Educational Television and Radio Center]
[Auctioneer chanting]
[Produced under the auspices of the United States Department of Health, Education, and
Welfare, Public Health Service Division of Chronic Diseases, Gerontology Branch.]
[Auctioneer continues]
[In Cooperation with the National Educational Television Network]
[Auctioneer:] Can I get a 5.
Don't let the horseget away from you.
[Auctioneer continues]
And now 6.
[John Cummings:] 6 1/2 he says.
[Auctioneer:] Now 7.
6 1/2-- 7.
Six and a half sold tothe gentleman over there.
Gentleman over there.
You'll see him inthe races this fall.
[Wooden chest slides]
All right, now--
[Narrator:] Edna and John havedecided to give up their house
and move into a flat.
[Auctioneer:]: Oh, a lotof them in there.
[?] what do you getfor all those picture frames.
[Auctioneer chant fadesinto the background]
[Narrator:] The house istoo much trouble now.
Also too expensive.
[Sentimental music]
They've lived here 40 yearsand raised a daughter.
[Auctioneer still audible]
Seeing the placeempty out isn't easy.
Edna keeps busy.
[Music]
[Door slams and knocks downa wall hanging]
[Music continues][Auctioneer still audible]
[Auction site, man carries outa spring mattress]
[Auction sign, Saturday Aug. 8]
[Narrator:] John is also a bit restless.
[Auctioneer holds upa foldable clothes line]
[Phone ringing]
He feels unnecessary and isglad when the phone rings.
[Ringing]
[John Cummings:] Hello?
[Operator:] I have a long distancecall for Mr. or Mrs. Cummings.
[John Cummings:] Thisis John Cummings.
[Operator:] Go ahead.
[Martha:] Dad?
[Auctioneer audible in John's house]
[John Cummings:] Martha?
Hi.
[Martha:] How are you, Dad?
[John Cummings:] Well, fine.
How are you andthe kids and all?
[Martha:] Just fine.
How's mother?
[John Cummings:] Oh, she's well.
I'll call her.
Edna.
Edna, Martha's on the phone.
[Martha:] Dad, I justgot your letter.
I think that's awful.
[John Cummings:] Youmean about the auction?
[Martha:] It's so sudden.
[John Cummings:] Ithad to be done.
It's too much for us.
Besides, Social Securityjust goes so far.
[Martha:] But whatare you going to do?
[John Cummings:] Well, we founda nice little flat nearby.
Very handy.
[Martha:] Don't you want to comeout here near us somewhere?
[John Cummings:] No.
[Martha:] I just feel awful.
[John Cummings:] Now look, Martha.
You've got your lives tolive and we've got ours.
[Martha:] Can't we do something?
[John Cummings:] No.
We're all set.
Now your mother's got allher friends right here
and I can get to thetrack now and then.
It's the way we want it.
[Martha:] Can't wehelp you somehow?
[John Cummings:] No.
We've thought it all out.
[Martha:] But Dad, you have tobe careful of yourself and--
[John Cummings:] I knowall that, Martha, but--
Oh, look, one of the auction menwants the chair I'm sitting in.
[Martha:] Is it going on now?
[John Cummings:] Yeah.
[Auction chatter]
[Martha:] Dad, just to think about it!
[John Cummings:] I'd betterhang up now, Martha.
[Martha:] May I speak to mother?
[Exhales]
[John Cummings:] Edna.
Edna?
Martha's on the phone.
[Suspenseful music]
[Edna falls ill while doing chores]
[Sits down on daybed]
Edna?
[Music]
(concerned tone) Edna?
What's the matter?
[Edna Cummings:] Idon't feel so well.
[John Cummings:] Ibetter call the doctor.
[Footsteps]
[Ambulance siren blaring]
[Narrator:] Within an hour, Ednais on her way to the hospital.
[Siren fades]
[Suspenseful music]
[Two men transport Edna]
[Nurse and Enda in hospital room]
Within 48 hours, she isgetting passive exercise.
John will be taughthow to do it.
[Peaceful music]
[Nurse rubbing Edna's left arm]
It seems she's hada slight stroke,
but the doctor saysit's not serious.
A slight paralysis isalready wearing off.
[Nurse continues treatment]
[John walks towardsEdna's room]
[John enters room]
[John carrying luggage]
10 days later, Ednais home in the new
flat that they've taken.
They're going rightahead with their plans.
[John climbs the stepsand enters the house]
[Edna watches Johnfrom a window]
A week later, she's on her feet.
Another week and shewill be doing housework.
[John Cummings:] There you are.
Oh, look.
You remember howfast this boy was?
Now we'll put him rightup here in our new flat.
[Doctor dispensing medicine]
[Narrator:] Regularlyshe takes pills
to prevent further blood clots.
[Doctor dispensing medicine]
[Edna walking]
[John Cummings:] Hey, now.
Easy now.
All right, straight and forward.
That's a girl.
Good.
Fine and good.
[Peaceful music]
[Doctor:] Looks to melike you're doing fine.
[John Cummings:] Doing OK.
Isn't she, Doc?
[Doctor:] Certainly is.
[John Cummings:] Good girl, Edna.
[Edna Cummings:] Inpart thanks to him.
He put me through my paces.
[John Cummings:] Well I wasa horse trainer over here
at the track for 40 years.
Many a day I satby a sick horse.
Should be able to do asmuch for my own wife.
[Edna Cummings:] That'swhat he thinks of me.
He thinks he's going to enterme in the Preakness now.
[Laughs]
And I'm not goingwin any blue ribbons.
[John Cummings:] Don'tyou bet on that.
I know a good fillywhen I see one.
[Laughs]
[Taking blood pressure]
[Narrator:] Prognosis,many more years of life.
[Music]
The aging live on theedge of a precipice.
Balances of pressure,arteries, blood chemistry
are in delicate equilibrium.
If the balance is maintained,there can be health and joy.
The statistics tell us she maylive another 10 or 20 years.
Edna is ready for them,but are we ready for Edna?
Suddenly there are millionsand millions of Ednas.
Are our communities ready?
A century ago we did notneed to ask that question.
[Book illustration]
In those days theranks of the old
were thinned by everyillness, every epidemic.
A stroke then wasa sentence of doom.
They would say, "lie still."
"Lie still."
"Don't move."
Soon the muscles atrophied.
The processes of life slowed.
At best, there'd be a period ofliving death, then death itself.
[Book illustration]
The old were scarce then.
For the few that lived on, therewas a place in the farm home.
Between the oldand the very young,
there was often a special bond.
But the rural way of lifethey knew was changing.
Everywhere families were onthe move, some to the frontier,
others to the city.
Here there was less roomfor the old and less use.
The factory assembly linewas recruiting the young,
not the old.
[Photographs]
In cramped city quarters thegrandparent was less welcome.
[Tense music playing]
More and more the old were beingshunted aside into alms houses.
In this way, theirneeds could more easily
be forgotten bythe outside world.
Most didn't last long.
But that, too, was changing.
In medical laboratoriesanother great transition
was in progress.
One by one, organisms that hadbrought countless epidemics
were being subdued.
Smallpox, typhoidfever, diphtheria,
they began to lose their sting.
Life expectancy went up.
The old lived on inever-growing numbers.
[Animated graph linesuperimposed]
In 1900 in theUnited States, they
were about threemillion people over 65.
By 1920, almost 5 million.
1940, 9 million.
[Animated graph lineincreases]
For the old, was it a boon?
In the 1930s, theGreat Depression.
10 million unemployed.
Among the old,widespread suffering.
More and more they werepushed outside the economy.
But 1935 brought amemorable turning point.
We accepted at last anational responsibility.
A Social Security insuranceplan based on earnings
began to provideretirement benefits.
Through amendments, almostall workers were covered
and benefits were provided fortheir dependents and survivors.
By 1964, monthly benefitswere going to three
out of four people 65 or older.
But meanwhile, the oldcontinue to grow in numbers,
aided by new medical advances.
It was found that enforcedbed rest, so long accepted
as sound treatment,held its dangers.
Instead of lie still,the doctors more often
said, get up.
Even among victims of strokeit brought dramatic results,
prolonging active life.
1960, 17 million over 65.
[Edna making her bed]
And so Edna, likemillions of others,
is on her feet,
active, doingher housework.
She and John look forward tothe promised golden years.
[Music]
A crisis has even giventhem a new camaraderie.
Fixing the flat is anadventure, recalling old times.
As she takes up thetasks of housekeeping,
John celebrates the triumphby awarding her a blue ribbon.
[John pins awardon Edna's collar]
[Happy music]
[John kisses Edna's forehead]
[Edna admires her ribbon]
[Racetrack]
Now he feels he can safelytake a few hours off--
--visit his old haunts at thetrack, see his old friends,
relive old days, havea look at the horses.
[Whimsical music]
There outside the park,he is hit by an auto.
[Tense music]
An hour later, thenews is told to Edna
as carefully as possible.
John was killed instantly.
A long distance call ismade to notify the daughter.
[Tense music]
Meanwhile, Edna istaken to a nursing home.
Future arrangementsare uncertain.
The events are agreat strain on her.
Her body struggles to maintainits delicate balances.
Yet statistically, the outlookstill is many years of life.
[Close-up of wedding ring]
What sort of years will they be?
Very soon, there'll be 20million Americans over 65.
Millions of them likeEdna, left alone.
Are we ready?
Are our communities ready?
Have we looked closelyat this problem?
[White House, Washington, D.C.]
In 1961, there was a historicWhite House conference
on aging.
It was followed bylegislation to help
communitiesthroughout the nation
develop health servicesfor older people.
The law was called The CommunityHealth Services and Facilities
Act of 1961.
By now, many urgentneeds were known.
Now the emphasiswould be on services.
In many communities, thePublic Health Service
began to fosterprojects, showing
how needs could be met, throughexisting resources or new ones.
Many approaches were used.
In some communities,improvement of nursing
homes to provide not only theneeded beds but also facilities
for recreation, occupationaltherapy, rehabilitation.
[Gentle music]
[Senior residents in activity room]
In another community, servicesfor those not sick enough
for institutions but not wellenough to care for themselves,
visits to the home bynurses, therapists.
[Nurse inoculating elder woman]
For those unable tocook, portable meals
served in the home.
[Ear exam]
In another community,special health services
in housing projectsoccupied by the aging.
[X-ray administered]
In another community,a clinic for preventive
checkups to ensureearly treatment.
In another, scheduledvisits by a podiatrist
to senior centers for the allimportant care of the feet.
The aim: keep them walking.
[Music playing]
[Podiatrist viewing x-rays]
In another, provisionfor psychological health
to counteractemotional depression.
In another community, aninformation and
counseling service.
A social worker helps oldpeople and their families
to plan for theirparticular needs.
The aim: not just to treatsickness, but maintain
well-being.
All these varied services haveproved valuable and necessary.
But though proved, they arestill few and far between.
Are our communities ready?
Most surely they are not.
We have learned what is needed.
Experiments and demonstrationshave shown the way,
but relatively few communitiesin our land are ready.
If they were, we knowhow the story might go.
So let us suppose thatwe were ready for Edna
and continue her story.
[View through Martha's car window]
Her daughter Martha arrives.
Two days laterafter the funeral,
they start the journeyto Martha's home.
[Soft dramatic music]
[Marth helps her mother into the car]
Here in an urban flat,some readjustments
will be necessary.
Financially, thefamily will manage.
Martha supplements her husband'searnings with part-time work
during the children'sschool hours
and Edna now receives fromSocial Security
Survivor Benefits.
[Music]
But Edna, depressed andworn out, takes to her bed.
How will she be cared for?
A difficult period lies ahead.
[Edna in bed]
[Worker brings in lunch]
For emergencies of thissort, the nearby hospital
arranges a temporaryhomemaker service.
[Worker adjusts Edna in her bed]
Gradually, Ednabecomes more active.
A few weeks later shebegins to cope for herself,
but supporting servicesstill come from the hospital.
A nurse visits once a day,the doctor once a week.
[Aging Center sinage]
After a time, they feel she'swell enough to come by herself
to the Aging Centerat the hospital.
[Nurse writing in log]
Edna begins periodicvisits, at first hesitant.
She has her bloodpressure checked,
also her hearing and vision.
Such check ups preventmany an accident.
At intervals, she receives newpills to prevent blood clots.
A checkup precedeseach allotment.
[Caller for Square Dance:] (singing)Do-si-do now promenade.
You promenade her two bytwo and take a little walk,
go home with you, andall the way around.
Now all the men looklike an [?]..
Go right, now left.
And make your star inthe gents in the center
with a backup star.
Now slip the clutch, left out.
A man and a partner ride withthe right and left grand.
And a right and a left,go around the ring.
[Narrator:] She gets interestedin the center's recreation
program, first as aspectator, later actively.
It becomes a regularpart of her week.
[Caller for Square Dance:] Move upto the middle and back.
Now pass through--
[Narrator:] In theoccupational therapy room,
she acquires new interests.
[Gentle music]
[Woman sowing]
[Gentle music]
The regular visitsto the Aging Center
become important to Edna.
[Braiding a placemat]
[Other activities]
[Grandchildren playing]
[Granddaughter:] Come on here.
Come.
Come and have fun.
[Narrator:] For a time,at home she still has
periods of deepest gloom.
Sometimes she sits silent forhours, hardly noticing others.
[Granddaughter readinga book out loud]
[Music]
Martha patiently keeps involvingher mother in household tasks.
Edna's activities slowly grow.
[Somber music]
[Martha brings her motherpotatoes to peel]
[Somber music]
[Psychologist:] Edna do you...
[Narrator:] At the hospital, shediscusses her depressions
with a psychologist and beginsgroup counseling sessions.
[Edna Cummings:] I thinkthat I felt better
after I went onthe porch and got
a little sunshine on Thursday.
Martha set up a littlecard party for me
and I had an afternoon offun, perhaps you would say.
But it seems like a very greatproblem to talk to people.
[Psychologist:] Well, perhapsby talking some here we
can help you withsome of your problems.
Mrs. Hardy, how haveyou been getting along?
[Mrs. Hardy:] Very well.
[Music]
[Narrator:] The monthspass and one day
comes an important moment.
The hospital referralcenter recommends Edna
for a temporary volunteer job.
She helps with a scholarshipfundraising drive.
She's on duty two hours.
At first she fears theresponsibility, but in the end,
feels exhilarated.
She feels she's wonanother blue ribbon.
[Edna reminisces and reachesfor her blue-ribbon]
[Edna hand-in-handwith her grandson]
That afternoon walking homewith Martha's youngest son,
Edna feels a glow of pride.
Gradually, she is movinginto the life of a community.
By 1970, there willbe 25 million people
over 65 in the United States.
Of all people sincethe dawn of history
who have ever reached the ageof 65, more than a quarter
will be living.
Will we be ready?
When husband and wifesurvived together,
they're determined inmost cases to maintain
a small home of their own.
When one survives, thismay not be practical.
Though many continueto live alone
as long as theirhealth permits, some
find a place withrelatives or friends.
Sometimes otherarrangements are needed.
Whatever plan is followed, theold have special health needs.
Those over 65 need medicalhelp at least three times
as often as other people.
In any year, at least1 in 6 is hospitalized.
But with the rightattention at the right time,
many can stay on the sideof well-being and joy.
We have the knowledge to fulfillthe promise if we will use it.
At 65, the average womannow has a life expectancy
of at least another 16 years.
They can be years of harvest.
[Edna Cummings:] We're goingto get this nightie on,
these pajamas.
[Narrator:] There canstill be the special bond
between the oldand the very young.
[Grandson:] OK.
[Edna Cummings:] OK?
[Grandson:] OK.
[Both:] (singing) "A pennyfor a spool of thread,
a penny for a needle.
That's the way the money goes.
Pop goes the weasel.
The [?] when,he charges for me--
[Gentle music]
[A film in the series: The quest for security]
[Written and supervised by Erik Barnouw;produced and directed by Stephen Sharff]
[A CMC production: Center for Mass Communication Columbia University Press]
[Produced under the auspices of the United States Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare]
[Public Health Service. Division of Chronic Diseases. Gerontology Branch.]
[In Cooperation with the National Educational Television and Radio Center; 1964]
[Grandson and Edna close-ups]