Positive Reflections of Older Adults in Movies

It’s not so easy to find movies about characters in the 60+ age category, let alone ones that depict older adults in a positive light. Fortunately, some are available for free viewing on Kanopy and Hoopla attesting that seniors can indeed lead interesting and meaningful lives.

My Old Lady, a 2014 English movie adapted from Israel Horowitz’s book by the same title, can be streamed on Kanopy.  This sophisticated portrait of a lady in her 90’s shows someone in full control of her sharp mind carrying on with her profession. She handles a scheming guest trying to displace her from her Paris home and deals with the drama which plays out when we learn family secrets about the intruder! With Maggie Smith in the lead role some delightful dialogue reminiscent of the one-line ‘zingers’ from the TV series Downton Abbey embellish this film and Kevin Kline holds his own. Well worth watching.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, inspiring older adults appear frequently among foreign language flicks, particularly from France where “joie de vivre” continues in later years. A noteworthy French movie from 2011 is All Together: Et si on vivait tous ensemble which not only shows five friends courageously living together when one of them can no longer live alone, but also successfully handling problems on their own which inevitably come with aging. Iconic actor Jane Fonda depicts graceful aging through her character Jeanne, while the other four actors lend creativity and feistiness to their character depictions. The taboo topic of sex in older life is also candidly depicted and the film is thought-provoking and modern. 

Life with an Aging Parent, Part 2 – Online Resources

Whether you are an older person or someone with an older person in your life, here are a few of the many informative, helpful and readily available free Library online resources to consider trying out.  Many provide full-text article access.  I’ve heard my elderly father talk about price shopping, his health and wanting to read more local news so I used those topics.

It’s smart to comparison shop, whether it’s for a microwave or a used car. The Consumer Reports online resource has product reviews, ratings and comparisons to make better buying decisions and save money.  One can look at Product Reviews by category and easily click to review information on hearing aids, vacuum cleaners, car repair estimates, and many other consumables and other products big and small.  The Latest News category has articles like Privacy Fix: Search and Destroy Old Email Accounts (June 4, 2019).  Under the Take Action category there are several up-to-date articles about avoiding hidden fees for cable TV, banks and airlines.

Life with an Aging Parent: Part 1 – Books

The first known use of the phrase “eldercare” was in 1960 and is defined as “the care of older adults and especially the care of an older parent by a son or daughter.” This has been becoming part of my world more in the last few years with my father, since other immediate family members have passed away and both my sister and I live in different parts of the country from him.  He’s in his late 80s and really thrives on living independently.

Movie Mondays: Life Begins at 50, or 60, or 70…

The past few years have been been kind to actors “of a certain age” and audiences who are interested in smart films about people in late middle age to the senior years. Since 2012, Amour won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language film, Enough Said showed us the highs and lows of dating in your 50s, and a pair of musical dramedies – Quartet and Unfinished Song – delighted us. Here are four new films that celebrate life beyond 50.

Give wisely and give often

We’ve worked hard for our money. And now we want to give some of it back to the community. We’ve seen the donation kettles and the Seattle Times Fund for the Needy ads. But my watchword is to check before I write the check. Is the charity legitimate or has it just picked a worthy-sounding name? And how much of my donation goes to the cause as opposed to administrative costs?