1:11am Frontline: "Living Old"

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/livingold/view/

there's a bug on my screen. don't want to squash it 'cause of splash damage on the screen.

bug juice.

karma is not part of the equation.

I love Frontline reports.

This one is on aging. people 85 and older. makes me think about how I want to age. and how I should be taking care of my parents when they're older.

and makes me feel better about a lot of things. if I'm 23, and I'll get to live to be around 80 years old. I still have about 50-60 years to see the world. to do something with my life. right?

—how does it feel to be a hundred? "the same as being 99"

—mass geriatric society. living longer and healthier.

healthier is the key, because you start losing your functions. you can't walk, talk, move, eat, see, hear.

it's not cancer, Alzheimer's, or the dramatic diseases.

—people want to live longer with their body at the peak, not aging and deteriorating.

—over the next 30 years. the number of over 65, 20% = 70 million of the US population.

—chronic illnesses keep you alive and dead at the same time.

losing control of your own bodily functions. things that kids get made fun of. that tease each other about.

and you live in that helpless phase again.

—number of geriatricians. 50. that's in the entire US? I think so. ridiculous. and the shortage of nurses.

what are your expectations about your aging parents? or my parents' expectations on me? and my sister?

$150,000 a year for the 24hr home care that is needed.

that fantasy of dying in your sleep. rarely happens.

is this why we have kids? so that some will take care of us when no one else will?

functions and comfort.

—nursing homes: the waiting room. or will you be better off than when you were at home?

—multi-generational households.



cancer when you're older. surgery, then chemo, is it worth it? all the trouble?

doing everything you can to keep someone alive. when are you ready to let go?

do not resuscitate orders.

is it love or cruelty?

"I do not want to be a burden to my loved ones"

assist them in having a purpose in life, since quality is not there any more.

the dramatic music doesn't help.

"I like life, the sun, the air..."