Dont Stop the Music

[Music] all ages no single pace fits all at any age there should be accommodation for all yet in this country accommodation for individual differences ends at age 65. society makes that birthday a deadline the calendar is assumed to reduce overnight the capable to dependency the skilled and experienced to obsolescence automatically suddenly out of step off the beat expected to drop out no matter what they feel wish or have to offer but older americans in increasing numbers are resenting and resisting this stereotype of instant aging and dependency they can and are taking care of themselves they are demanding don't stop the music [Music] the needs of older people are not really much different from the needs of all human beings um shelter food uh an income to live on um a a place uh a human place where what we represent the accumulated experience of many many years uh the expertise that we represent uh the kind of ability to survive and cope that we represent uh can be utilized we are presently devalued unused pushed aside away from every decision-making process that needs us i think we still by and large see old age as a problem and because we see it as a problem rather than a resource i think we're thinking about what we can give by way of a kind of a dole rather than adopting a posture of investing to make for a more productive enjoyable later life so the battle is joined enough of negative stereotypes it's time for a new image of older americans the elders of the tribe an image designed by reality rather than the calendar older americans in action active at tempos of their own choosing capable of diversity enjoying themselves and taking care of themselves as independently as possible determined to keep the music going [Applause] [Music] for some the pace is quiet slow but happy for others a faster beat that tennis player close up is 71 years old i live across the sea from lafayette playground and in the morning soon as i wake up i look outside to see if it is suitable day for tennis unless it's raining or snowing it's soluble i play during winter time we have come here clean the snow mopped and played it so there wouldn't be an ice so i really enjoy playing tennis because it gives you a mental rest and physical exercise and you're playing tennis you don't think about when you're gonna die or anything like that you just think how long you can enjoy your life i have the name and the telephone numbers are about 65 people most of them are retired and we get together play tennis in the morning and in the afternoon and in the evening i have some friends that they come here to play tennis he's 86 years old but every saturday and sunday he's here to play tennis and he enjoys the game i want to be in good health as long as possible and the main possible way of doing that is by being occupied with exercise and physical action how long you can enjoy your life there are barriers man-made and natural too little money and few chances to earn more because of arbitrary retirement and a false image of capabilities but they try they continue to work where possible and they look for work [Music] fine i've got several small buildings on myself and others and laid the cement or mayhem for in the mountains of kentucky they eased their problems with the old skills music for fun and recreation mountain crafts for the money problem in olive hill we started working with crafts that are native to the area many of our people are very uh good craftsman so that we got together and started working after the meal on items and then since we found such a good local market we worked in with the craft store as soon as it started and now many of our people are selling items that they're making to supplement their income much of this goes for food other goes for clothing and shelter some to put heat into their homes [Music] and in the city they pool years of marketing know-how for mutual benefit members of this michigan food cooperative search the ads for bargains market in bulk for a week [Music] package family supplies and deliver them savings are substantial friendships very real older people refuse to give in to major physical handicaps i was a weaver for the lighthouse for many years and i have a blind husband too and i have two sons and i i do a lot of knitting and that's it and i now that i really could do something for someone else i love it because people help me why not help others and older people also meet emotional problems head on along with all the others i knew it was up to me to do it because the doctors have been very good and so is the staff but i had to make that move and i think i've made it and i can truthfully say i've never been so happy and everyone has been just wonderful i say that from the bottom of my heart and that's probably the good food we have you're wonderful and when i [Music] enjoying all their lives for many older americans this means not only taking care of themselves but also serving others of all ages as foster grandparents and as volunteers giving love and care to institutionalized children and to and handicapped persons in hospitals and homes do you need any dental worker was that taken care of when you're in service older people draw on experience as red cross counselors to young veterans but now i've got to get your general medical report now when do you go to the general medical clinic and as legal advocates for the poor monday have we helped you before others provide community service telling where help exists and helping people reach it i'll call you back to let you know who your driver is going to be older people help communities and organizations provide group meals combining food and friendship to end isolation others deliver a hot meal to the homebound for some of those served it is their only human contact of the day in many communities seniors make daily reassuring phone calls to persons living alone to check on their well-being and to send help if needed others make home delivery of medicines or just come by to turn on a light in the indian country of the southwest tribal members build new houses for reservation elderly and in the southern mountains skilled carpenters repair aged housing for their neighbors and enjoy the doing these activist older americans are of course the lucky ones the most outgoing most self-reliant and healthiest they've found or made opportunities against all sorts of odds yet with some community help often very little their numbers could go from few to many enjoying their lives and many many more older americans could find opportunities to serve others to bring about such change be far greater community awareness and involvement and new attitudes toward aging this is what the administration on aging of the department of health education and welfare is working for through its own programs and beyond as federal advocate for older americans because a lack of sensitivity toward the aging prevents adequate meeting of their needs or offering of opportunities everywhere change of attitude is needed in the health professions emphasizing early treatment preventive treatment and accessibility of services to enable older people to remain active and there must be therapy designed to restore them to activity never accepting the myth that once down an elderly patient must remain bed-bound and dependent well i found that one of the old things is very true old people are wise they've had years of experience nothing really is very new to them oh some of the techniques and some of the methods of doing things might be new but not the essentials of life and that's what you're approaching people on because when you treat someone what you've got to do is have them want to do what you want them to do and old people are marvelous because if they make the commitment to come for treatment they've already made the commitment they want to get better there's there are no games being played they really want help they want to do what you want them to do if there's to be more action there must be better ways to get where the action is improved transportation is essential for the elderly and change of attitude must extend to older people themselves their self-image how they feel about themselves after years of being left out in trying to depict the plight of the aged i think they have created a negative stereotype of the agent which made aging look to the elderly themselves and to those who might one day become old as a very desperate kind of period of life now i think that's not how the elderly really experience old age what the media have done is have taken the negative side of aging of the few people who are really experiencing these grave difficulties loneliness physical illness physical incapacities emotional disturbances and they have presented them in order to arouse sympathy for the aged the result has been quite the opposite i feel that there's a lot of the potentials and well not potentials but actual knowledge being wasted because uh and just because the person lives longer and and a few more years passes doesn't mean that they're they're uh that everyone's brain has slowed down and slowed down yes there are problems with old age i think there's no question that that some of these are perfectly correct but by focusing only on the difficulties only on the problems a an utter distortion of aging has been produced and i think this is a great injustice that is being done to the elderly perhaps most important of all in this do-it-yourself nation is political action at the local level i do feel that older people can be encouraged to participate actively at the precinct level and the party level whatever that might be i think increasingly responsible government at city county state and federal level has to make sure and try to convince not only older people but all people that government is responsive because many older people as they see decision making politically moving away from them they give up and political social action nationally as typified by the wonderfully named gray panthers their primary goal is to eliminate ageism to stamp out age discrimination the great panthers are organized in new york uh in april 1970. there were six of us three of us had retired and three of us were not yet retired but going to retire and uh together we're building a new base of power uh that will that we think has real political clout i think it i think this uh is a reflection of a new mood in america today uh it's not just the great panthers the grey panthers are a manifestation of it political clout for tomorrow a new mood in america choices many tempos many options welcome as contributing citizens with parts to play a community needs all its people its variety experience skills wisdom its roots its pioneers and elders the lucky community uses them you