J4: Elderly

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Ice breaker Quiz

Growing old has now become normal. In the past, reaching your 80s was thought as exceptional. This true or false quiz tests our attitudes and knowledge about old age. (See quiz programming ideas in the JPB I:1 for examples of the different ways of presenting this quiz) Answers and explanations here. TRUE or FALSE...

1. The majority of people over 65 eventually go senile
2. All five senses tend to decline in old age
3. Physical strength tends to decline in old age
4. In the UK 15% of the over 65s live in long-stay homes or hospitals.
5. People 65+ cannot work as efficiently as younger people
6. Most old people are set in their ways and unable to change
7. On average, men die at 72 and women at 78
8. The ageing process starts at about 20
9. Most people die of old age
10. Pensions are the main source of income for the elderly in the UK

Age old attitudes

Show some photos of elderly people. Not from glossy magazines, try and get unposed ones. The anti-old age attitudes of our society will come out by asking these, or similar, questions to your audience...

YOUTH WORSHIP: How well are they dressed? Could they be supermodels? Are they fit?

SPENDING POWER: Do these people live well? Do they eat out a lot, go out a lot and spend a lot?

JOB POWER: How do you think they feel about retirement? Does a job "define" you?

CHANGING TIMES: Do you think they surf the internet? Why do you think "Video Plus" sells so well?

FEAR: Will you look like this one day?

These questions can lead to a discussion of how we can change our attitudes to the elderly by changing our attitudes to what is important in our own lives. Point out that since we are living in an ageing society, there is a real urgency for us to reconsider our values.

Looking young

This time show some magazine photos (are there pin-ups?) of some ageing film stars and popstars. Ask people to comment on how good these people really look. Do they look fake? How long did they take to get kited out? How much of their body is real? How much did it cost? Do we like them only because they look good? What does that say about us? Can we really cheat old age?

Understanding Kate

The back page poem is a whole programme in itself. It looks at the elderly from their perspective. Maybe hand photocopies out and read it aloud. Does Kate want to relive her life or is there much more to it?

The invention of old age

Do a playlet where Abraham asks God for old age. You can make it funny by playing God as a young hip dude who thinks Abraham won't look good in a cardigan. Abraham, on the other hand, takes the whole thing very seriously and explains how he's grown out of that stuff and wants to teach his son about the bigger and deeper issues in life. Discuss with the audience whether old age of itself commands respect.

Judaism 2000

Discuss whether Jews are especially caring of their aged. Is this to do with the stress Jews put on being a family? Do we take family get togethers as an opportunity to learn from our elders or are they a chore? Have your audience talked to their grandparents or aunts about what they liked and did when they were young? It you have any personal stories on this theme, and you don't mind sharing them, then tell your audience about them. This will encourage them to tell stories too and can lead to an interesting chat about the different perspectives of age groups. How much of our Judaism do we learn from our elders? Is it their responsibility or ours?

Days as clothes

- The source about coming into days is very thought provoking. Read or hand it out and ask for the audiences different interpretations. There is a lot to it. What other analogies are there between clothes and years?

- Try and explain how, in some ways, old age is something to look forward to. Say how it is a time of wholeness and seeing the bigger picture and not a time of achievements.

- This wholeness is one reason why the Torah tells us to stand up for the elderly. Has your audience ever seen the sign on Israeli buses?

Caring for Jews

- Talk about the work of Jewish Care, or your regional equivalent.

- Maybe invite a representative to come in and do a programme about old age with your audience.

Getting around

- This programme will help you examine what you area is like to grow up in. Try and get hold of a detailed map of your school, Synagogue, local library or shopping centre. Look at the maps in terms of available transport, easy access, sign posts and safety. You could make a simple board game with it.

- You could actually visit and investigate these places before your programme. Try and get around while imagining you are in a wheelchair or can't walk or see very well. Report on your findings. If you describe places that your audience knows, the information will be interesting and thought provoking.

- If there are major access etc. problems, maybe you and your audience could to do something about it?

True or False: Quiz answers

1. FALSE Senile dementia in old age is an illness. It is not a sign of normal ageing. About 10% of people over 65 suffer from senility. "Old people go crazy for three reasons: because of illness, because they always were crazy or because we drive them crazy" (Alex Comfort)

2. TRUE All five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell do tend to decline as you grow older. For most people the changes occur slowly.

3. TRUE The less we are physically active, the more tendency for physical strength to decline.

4. FALSE About 3% live in hospitals or long-stay homes. Of the rest; 50% live with their spouse, 37% live alone and 10% with relatives.

5. FALSE Research in the UK and the USA indicates that the majority of over 65s can work as efficiently as their younger counterparts.

6. FALSE As we grow older many people do become more sure of their attitudes and beliefs. However, older people have to adapt to some of the most radical changes in our lives like retirement, declining senses and bereavement.

7. TRUE Less than 4% of the world population live passed 80.

8. TAKE YOUR PICK There are two schools of thought here. Some experts think that ageing starts at 20, while others think that the chemical changes that cause ageing occur throughout life and are happening in the foetus long before we are born.

9 FALSE No-one dies of old age. If we are not run over by a bus, we each will die as the result of some disease or infection. True, these are more likely to happen in old age, old age itself is not a signature of death and it is naive to think this way.

10 FALSE About 60% of elderly income is from social security benefits whereas pensions accounts for only about 20% of their income.

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