Ahhh, the movies! Who doesn't love a good movie? They can entice
your senses. They can make you dream of another life. They can give
you hope. They can scare you to death. They can make you feel warm and
fuzzy. They can open your eyes to the world. They can make you laugh
and cry. They can educate you. So many ways that a good movie can
satisfy the senses... The value of a movie is one thing that does not
change as we age. Movies can satisfy your senses at any age!
However,
in this day and age as an older adult, it can be hard to find a good
movie to go see. So many of the current movies don't seem to offer a
whole lot of value. Let's face it, many of them are just plain
raunchy! They seem to just be trying to shock you by just how inappropriate the content can get. I was thinking about this during the past week as I searched
for an appropriate movie to take a group of clients to from the Adult
Day Center that I work in. There were very few choices and really nothing with any value to them.
I feel
that mainstream movie-makers are missing a fairly large group of
potential moviegoers by not having more options of movies available for
the older population. As I looked over the listings at our local movie
theater, they were showing 12 different movies and only one of them was
one that I would even consider taking a group of older adults to. HELLO,
baby boomers are now the largest group of people over 60 years old that
has ever occurred! They should have more options for satisfying their
senses when they want to see a movie.
We routinely show movies at the
Adult Day Center
that I work at. They are mostly older movies that they have requested
to see. Movies are a great way for them to remember their past. The
movies we show tend to spark memories in our clients, which induce
conversations in the center. I view that as a successful activity.
Any activity that gets people talking to each other and reminiscing
about their lives should be viewed as a good thing. I love hearing
these conversations. It helps me learn more about who these people
really were in their life. It also makes me realize that everybody
essentially wants the same things in life. To be happy, loved and
secure.
The selection of older movies that can be shown are endless but try to find a list of current movies that fits the criteria, the list does not form so quickly. I suggest that this is because our society just simply does not value our older adults as they should. The majority of movies today are driven to attract the young. Don't get me wrong, I love the movies. All types of movies. I am simply suggesting that more quality movies be made more often. By
"quality movies" I mean movies with substance that inspire hope, real life and give a connection to life. Movies such as:
The Help, Moneyball, The Notebook, Blindside and
The Greenmile come too far and few between.
Satisfying your senses keeps a person on the path to Aging with Ease.
